Soldiers from the 21st Sustainment Command stand in formation during the 7th Engineering Brigade’s reactivation ceremony Thursday, July 27, 2023, at Katterbach Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany. (Michael Slavin/Stars and Stripes)
ANSBACH, Germany — An Army construction brigade was reactivated Thursday in Europe after a 31-year absence, marking another example of the service’s renewed presence on the Continent.
The 7th Engineering Brigade was stood up at the Army’s Bavarian post in Ansbach under the command of Col. Kyle Moulton.
The unit was founded in 1944 as the 5202nd Engineer Construction Brigade and formerly based in Kornwestheim, near Stuttgart.
After moving to multiple locations in Europe, the Pacific theater and Virginia, it was deactivated in 1992.
The unit is the Army’s only forward-stationed engineering brigade and will fall under the supervision of the Kaiserslautern-based 21st Theater Sustainment Command. It will support the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa as well as NATO-driven missions.
“We’ve been wanting to come to Europe my entire career,” Moulton said about himself and his family.
The brigade is tasked with bridge construction, barrier clearing, demolition and other engineering missions.
Army Col. Kyle Moulton takes the brigade colors from Brig. Gen. Ronald Ragin, head of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, during the 7th Engineering Brigade’s reactivation ceremony July 27, 2023, at Katterbach Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany. (Michael Slavin/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Ronald Ragin, head of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, talks about the history of the 7th Engineering Brigade during a reactivation ceremony July 27, 2023, at Katterbach Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany. (Michael Slavin/Stars and Stripes)
Col. Kyle Moulton, commander of the 7th Engineering Brigade, addresses the crowd during a reactivation ceremony for the unit July 27, 2023, at Katterbach Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany. (Michael Slavin/Stars and Stripes)
“Engineers make the difference; that’s why you are here,” said Brig. Gen. Ronald Ragin, the 21st TSC commander. “You enable the freedom of movement for every soldier in this theater.”
The growing brigade currently hosts about 150 soldiers and family members in and around Ansbach, which is southwest of Nuremberg.
There is still construction work to be done on the brigade’s infrastructure and facilities, Moulton said. The unit plans to grow to about 300 soldiers and family members by next year, he said.
The reactivation is the product of five years of planning, Moulton said.
The U.S. had been drawing down its forces in Europe following the Cold War but began bolstering its presence after Russia took the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has rotated thousands more troops into Europe as part of a mission to reassure NATO allies.
Col. Kyle T. Moulton stands in front of the formation as the 7th Engineering Brigade reactivativation ceremony comes to a close on July 27, 2023 at Katterbach Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany. (Michael Slavin/Stars and Stripes )
