Wiesbaden commander reflects on garrison successes and heartfelt emotions leaving Germany

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Commander Col. David Mayfield recently sat down to discuss his time leading the garrison. His change of command, on June 26, signaled the end of his most recent duty assignment in Germany - his fourth in total.

Mayfield assumed the mantle of garrison commander on July 8, 2022.

During his time in command, Mayfield oversaw the establishment of quarters for the U.S. Army's Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, numerous garrison traffic projects and many other initiatives focused on improving the quality of life for those in the Wiesbaden military community, and the implementation of the garrison barracks improvement plan, which improved the housing for many Clay Kaserne Soldiers.

Look within

In one of his first touchpoints as the garrison commander, Mayfield challenged his directors and division chiefs to look within their organization and recommend changes.

He encouraged leadership to assess their organizations, from a post COVID-19 perspective, to ensure that the garrison was best postured to support future challenges such as stationing actions and support to contingency operations.

"We were kind of stagnant coming out of the pandemic," Mayfield explained.

He surmised, after the initial assessments were briefed, that the garrison was probably not synchronizing or doing enough internal planning with mission support partners, and therefore was not directly postured to support contingency operations or prepared for projected increases within the military community.

"We had not let go of some of the policies and procedures that were necessary to get us through the pandemic," according to Mayfield.

From the need to do more crosstalk and planning arose the commander's integration and installation synch, or CI2S.

The CI2S, an idea born from Mayfield's "see ourselves" vision, was created to facilitate open dialogue between tenant unit commanders and the garrison to discuss priorities, policy changes, projects, and commander issues so that the garrison could provide support as well as communicate garrison activities directly to fellow command teams.

Assessment

The garrison successfully regained an improved footing post-COVID, while regaining and improving relationships with partners and friends from local host nation communities, according to Mayfield.

From a facilities and customer services standpoint the garrison is firmly postured to meet the growing stationing actions and the growth that is projected for Clay Kaserne's future, he added.

Several tools were used to help guide the garrison to take a holistic view across the organization, to see what and where changes could be made.

The garrison housing survey and the Defense Organization Climate Survey, or DEOCS, were important tools used to identify key areas within the garrison that needed revision as the garrison transformed following the reduction in post-COVID restrictions.

Policy changes or updates were identified using the DEOCS and the housing survey, which resulted in policies being modified or completely re-written.

For example, the garrison pet policy now allows three pets - where the previous policy allowed two - and the new housing policy allows the use of certain backyard toys such as trampolines and tree swings in the military community housing areas.

Residents are encouraged to review the Safety & Usage guidelines for Resident Provided Outdoor Recreation Equipment in AFH, CPM 80 policy located on the garrison website before placing any outdoors recreation equipment within the housing areas.

New experience

Knowing that he would relinquish command soon, Mayfield spoke about two key pieces of information he wished that he had prior to taking command, which he passed along to incoming garrison commander, Col. Troy Danderson.

First, when faced with a formidable challenge, a commander should focus on the organization's mission, or essentially, why the unit exists.

The main role of the garrison is to provide facilities and services to all the tenant units on the installation, to include several mission command headquarters whose focus areas are spread across two distinct theaters of operations.

Secondly, to prioritize and focus on the tasks that a commander can uniquely accomplish, while allowing staff to do their jobs.

Mayfield added, when faced with a problem or an issue, a commander should trust their directors and division chiefs, who are a knowledgeable resource ready to assist.

"Trust [them] to give you sound advice and lead you in the right direction."

This helped him develop an appreciation for the workforce. He said that while he had worked closely with civilians previously, commanding the garrison was his first time leading such a robust group of non-military employees.

"It was a phenomenal experience. Working with the civilian workforce was great. It was not my first-time supervising civilians, but it was my first time working with such a large civilian workforce comprised predominantly of host nation employees."

Growth as a commander

Mayfield developed a deep-rooted appreciation for what it meant to command the garrison.

He learned early in his command he would wear many hats.

"You will grow and mature - whether you want to or not - there is no way around it, it will happen," he said.

A garrison commander develops a versatility through leading and managing a garrison, as he or she must be an economist, politician, diplomat, engineer, and many other professions rolled into one, he said.

"As a garrison commander, you must know about each of the professions, but be a master of none. However, you have fantastic directors and divisions chiefs that help you work through all that - and it is amazing what you learn," he said.

Commander's ability

Mayfield spoke about one aspect of his job that made going to work so meaningful - the ability to immediately impact lives of others.

"A Garrison commander truly has the resources and the authority to get things done that improve the quality of life for those within the community," he relayed.

Facilities and services such as housing, public works, emergency services, gyms and entertainment venues across the community are the responsibility of the garrison.

One specific question he asked himself at the end of the day was: Did I make the right decision to help someone in need? Could I have found a more creative or unique way to help this individual or that family?

"Every morning, I looked in the mirror and knew I could make a difference in someone's life."

Host nation relations

Mayfield learned early that engagements and relationships with leaders from the surrounding host nation communities would be a large part of his duties.

He made a deliberate effort to increase the number of engagements with host nation partners, focusing on rebuilding and strengthening relationships that had been impacted by COVID-19 social distance restrictions.

This deliberate action resulted in a 400 percent surge in the number of engagements during his command and helped Mayfield learn things about the surrounding communities that he did not know prior to taking command.

Maintaining and reinforcing relations between forward deployed or assigned units and their host counterparts can be key to a unit's mission success. For Mayfield and USAG Wiesbaden, it is critical because vital resources such as water and roadways are managed by several host nation communities surrounding Clay Kaserne.

For example, the City of Hochheim is the source of Clay Kaserne's water and the City of Griesheim provides first responder support to the garrison's Dagger Complex. Roadways through two open USAG Wiesbaden military housing communities are maintained and managed by the town of Bierstadt.

The host nation relationships that were strengthened or created during engagements are a source of pride for Mayfield. The memories and friendships will endure long after his time in command ends.

Mayfield recalled a favorite community engagement.

"One of the best was when I was invited to the 550th anniversary of the Bierstadt tower and…the garrison was affectionally referred to as the 27th district of Wiesbaden, while the host nation crowd cheered with approval," he remembered.

Always mindful

Having a positive impact on the lives of servicemembers, families, and civilians was important to Mayfield.

"I like knowing that I had the ability to help someone," he said.

However, what kept him awake was the possibility of a critical failure in infrastructure that would impede key headquarter units on Clay Kaserne from performing vital mission command.

"When a key aspect of your mission set is to enable contingency operations…ensuring the garrison maintains critical infrastructure and utility service is essential," said Mayfield.

Safeguarding the uninterrupted flow of key services such as power, electronic communications and other key services was always on Mayfield's mind.

"Thinking about where or when we were going to have a power failure or water main break that could prevent key elements or facilities from operating was constant," Mayfield added.

More time

Mayfield acknowledges that his team experienced great success, but there are things he hopes the team will continue to build on.

"We are still trying to work through some issues for the workforce," he said.

A key challenge the garrison struggles with is hiring skilled labor to fill vacant garrison local national job opportunities.

Currently, the garrison workforce in Wiesbaden is comprised of more than 800 personnel of which up to 75% are local national hires. The Garrison, like surrounding communities, has programs focused on recruiting more electricians, engineers, plumbers, and front door service personnel.

Improving quality of life for Soldiers and families is another important issue that resonates deeply with Mayfield.

One project he oversaw during his tenure, that he hopes will come to fruition after he leaves, is the reform of the garrison unaccompanied personnel housing.

Currently, there are not enough rooms in the barracks to fulfill unit needs. The garrison is continuously updating its plan to find solutions to meet the demands as MTO&E strengths grow.

"Ensuring that we execute that quickly and to the best of our ability is critical to improving single Soldier quality of life," said Mayfield.

Bittersweet sadness

Leaving Germany for what might be the last time as an active-duty Soldier, Mayfield spoke about things that he would miss.

"It will be bittersweet," said Mayfield.

Following his four Germany assignments - two in Wiesbaden - it is easy to understand his and his family's connection to the area.

"I will remember the places we would go [as a family] after church; the kids riding their bikes without training wheels, and when I handed my daughter her diploma as she graduated from high school," he recalled.

Experiences, adventures, friendships, relationships with the host nation - the memories made - make it hard to drive out the main gate and look at Clay Kaserne in the rear-view mirror without feeling some sadness.

"I will miss the [garrison] workforce - fantastic people and great friendships. I am sure that I learned infinitely more from them than they ever could from me," he added.

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