New battalion commander vows continued community excellence

***image1***Lt. Col. Erik O. Daiga takes command of the 415th Base Support Battalion 10 a.m. today at the Armstrong Community Club on Vogelweh.
He succeeds Lt. Col. David W. Hall, who will still stay in the KMC at his new assignment at the 21st Theater Support Command, Panzer Kaserne.
“One of my primary command goals is that our customers – Soldiers, Airmen, civilians and their families who use our facilities – not even notice that there was a change of BSB commanders,” said Colonel Daiga. “I intend to keep the same high level of support no matter who is sitting in the commander’s chair.”
The battalion is based at Pulaski Barracks and customer service is the most visible part of its mission, enhancing the KMC’s readiness and quality of life.
This translates to the battalion’s three child development centers, three chapels, three libraries, Army Community Service’s classes and support programs, four Army clubs, four fitness centers, and Sports and Fitness programs. The battalion also provides many other community services also open to the entire KMC, such as Pulaski Park and Kid’s Zone.
Daiga didn’t travel far to come to the KMC. His last assignment was a joint tour at U.S. European Command Headquarters in Stuttgart.
“I’m coming from a great joint community, and I’m going to be in a leadership position in another great joint community,” said the Palmyra, Pa., native. “I’m a big proponent of ‘jointness’ and working together as a team.”
Colonel Daiga was an enlisted Soldier for three years before being selected for the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Ga. He was commissioned as a Military Intelligence Officer in 1987.
As battalion commander, Colonel Daiga oversees command and control, base operations support, force protection, reception, staging and onward movement in support of contingency operations. The battalion also acts as a power-projection platform, deploying and redeploying Army units, which they have done steadily for the past two years.
“At my last assignment in EUCOM, I quickly learned that the KMC is the European Command’s primary power projection platform for any mission in our area of responsibility,” he said. “The KMC is also where we care for our wounded at the state-of-the-art LRMC (Landstuhl Regional Medical Center), and where we care for the families while our troops are deployed.