Col. Jeffery Higgins takes the colors during a ceremony in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 11, 2024, in which he assumed command of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Col. Jeffery Higgins assumed command Thursday of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, part of the military’s largest overseas community.
During a ceremony at Pulaski Barracks, Higgins took over from Col. Reid Furman, who had been at the helm for nearly two years.
Higgins comes to the post after serving as the communications director for NATO’s Allied Joint Forces Command Brunssum in the Netherlands.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Higgins previously commanded 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany, and NATO’s Battle Group Poland. He also served as secretary of the general staff for U.S. Army Pacific Command.
The garrison includes the large military communities in Baumholder and Kaiserslautern and shared space with the Air Force.
It’s home to the 21st Sustainment Command, the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
Under Higgins’ watch, the garrison will focus solely on supporting some 40,000 soldiers, civilians and family members living in Germany.
Col. Reid Furman speaks to a crowd at Pulaski Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 11, 2024, after relinquishing command of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Col. Jeffery Higgins, left, embraces Col. Reid Furman after assuming command of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz from him on July 11, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A German horn trio, which traditionally plays during hunting expeditions, plays at a ceremony in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 11, 2024, during which Col. Reid Furman relinquished command of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz. Furman invited the trio to play after taking up hunting as a hobby while living in Germany. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The garrison consists of over two dozen sites in Germany and has been a key player in the response to the Russia-Ukraine war. During most of Furman’s command, it also included Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania and Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria.
Furman helped transition those sites into the Army’s newest garrison, U.S. Army Garrison-Black Sea, which Army Garrison Poland assumed command of in May.
“We made Black Sea our center of gravity to improve force protection and quality of life there in support of the Ukraine mission,” Furman said Thursday. “The successful transition of Black Sea from Rheinland-Pfalz to Poland … marks our ability to refocus energy toward our military communities in Kaiserslautern and Baumholder.”
Furman also oversaw $2 billion worth of construction and an increase of over 1,000 soldiers to the region.
“I’ve now served with over 40 garrison commanders, and I can tell you that no one has accomplished more,” Tommy Mize, director of Installation Management Command-Europe, said of Furman. “No one has better served their community, and no one has led and cared for their team better.”
Furman’s next assignment will be at U.S. Army Installation Management Command headquarters in San Antonio, where he’ll serve as the executive officer for commander Lt. Gen. Omar Jones.
Col. Jeffery Higgins salutes after assuming command of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz at a ceremony in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 11, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
