Logistics Readiness Center provides different facets of support on post

By Gabrielle KuholskiSeptember 12, 2014

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2 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Donny Davis, a mechanic with the Logistical Readiness Center's Materiel Maintenance Division, tightens nuts and bolts on one of the installation's fire trucks after replacing the brake drums. The division services "priority one" post vehicles, which ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pvt. Adam Harrison, Company A, 2-13th Aviation Regiment, collects prepared bagged lunches at the Thunderbird Dining Facility. These will be taken to Soldiers training at Black Tower, near Fort Huachuca's West Gate. On average, 180 lunches are prepare... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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5 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – John Herrera, Central Issue Facility warehouse specialist, inventories a turned-in uniform. As part of the Logistics Readiness Center Supply and Services Division, all items turned into the facility must be accounted for with records, meaning no extr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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7 / 7 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Greg Pasquier, quality assurance specialist in ammunition surveillance, introduces a display of ordinances on the Ammunition Supply Point building. Pasquier's various roles include life cycle management of ammunition, monitoring explosive safety, exp... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services the Logistics Readiness Center, or LRC, directs, manages and coordinates a variety of operations and activities on post.

Formerly known as the Fort Huachuca Directorate of Logistics, the LRC is part of the 404th Army Field Support Brigade, located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. On Fort Huachuca, the 230 LRC person-workforce, a mix of Department of the Army Civilians and contractors, serve 17,127 Soldiers and Civilians.

The LRC provides logistical support and services to the United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence; Training and Doctrine Command; Noncommissioned Officers Academy; garrison-based activities for Soldiers, Civilians and contractor employees; and reserve component activities. Its mission also ties into the senior commanders' missions.

"I feel [the LRC's] role here is key, even though the services we provide operate behind the scenes most of the time," explained Larry Locke, LRC director, describing the directorate as a type of "life support" for the installation. "We touch every unit in some way or fashion [whether it's] through food, ammunition, transportation or personnel," Locke added.

Around Fort Huachuca, it encompasses some of the installation's main necessities. While its operations take place in facilities across post, Cliff Songer, LRC Supply and Services Division chief, explained that much of the Fort Huachuca community is unaware of how many services the LRC provides. Logistical support is divided among materiel maintenance, transportation and supply and services.

Materiel Maintenance

The LRC captures the meaning of "life support" with the repair services which happen daily within the Maintenance Division. Raymond "Curt" Curtin, material maintenance officer said Materiel Maintenance can perform almost any repair needed or fabrication. He said fabricating includes the cutting and forming of metal, welding and the construction of wooden pallets and crates.

Aside from working with these materials, mechanics repair, service and modify both tactical and non-tactical vehicles. They also perform these tasks on garrison safety vehicles such as fire trucks and police cars.

The division works on vehicles as large as a Humvee to weapons as small as a pistol. In addition to ground maintenance shop operations, Material Maintenance inspects, repairs and services tactical and non-tactical small arms, optics, night vision devices, and radios and other communication systems in addition to security alarms in their Communications and Electronic Shop.

According to Curtin, this operation also services equipment of B-Troop, 4th Regiment, U.S. Cavalry (Memorial). He explained how the division takes care of their pistols, Howitzer cannons and horse trailers when needed.

Transportation

For the Transportation Division, operations go beyond the management of goods from one point to another. Not only does this section of the LRC coordinate and execute the transportation of physical items, it assists Soldiers and DA Civilians with their travel as well.

"Our main function is to provide transportation support for the installation," said Donald "Diesel" Nelson, acting installation transportation officer.

Personal Property Shipping Office

The Personal Property Shipping Office, or PPSO, helps service members and their Families coordinate the pick-up and movement of their household goods, secure a storage unit, if necessary, and schedule transportation to their next duty station, Nelson explained.

PPSO can assist with "do it yourself moves," or DITY moves, where personnel, both active duty and Civilian who have permanent change of station, or PCS orders, can use or lease vehicles to move on their own for reimbursement. Individuals who make a DITY move receive 95 percent of what the government would have paid versus the government paying for 100 percent of the move. According to Nelson, PPSO on average handles 20 to 25 DITY moves a month.

"It's a big savings and it does put some money in the service member's pocket, which helps the Family with moving expenses," he said

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Nelson added that the office is also there to help those with travel plans for temporary duty assignment or TDY. PPSO is located in Building 52065 on Smith Avenue. For assistance, call 520.533.5811.

Transportation Motor Pool

Another area of the division is the Transportation Motor Pool, or TMP. Nelson explained that its main function is the transportation of TRADOC Soldiers assigned here as students. The service drives them to their training location or classroom and picks them up once their training is completed. TMP will provide transportation to other units and organizations besides Advanced Individual Training Soldiers, however, there are fees for this service.

Freight Operations

Another function of LRC's Transportation Division fits the true meaning of logistics -- moving items and equipment from their point of origin to their final destination. Logistical support takes place through Freight Operations, which handles the inbound receipt of items and coordinates shipping outbound freight.

Transportation for deploying units

The final aspect of support the LRC provides is equipment transportation for deploying units. Tasks include coordinating the movement of the equipment from the site here to the seaport or other point of embarkation.

"We help with getting all the coordination, making sure that [the unit's] list of equipment that they are deploying with is processed through FORSCOM (Forces Command), so FORSCOM knows what they need to take," Nelson said.

He added that FORSCOM will coordinate with Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, which works on scheduling the appropriate aircraft with the Air Mobility Command.

Nelson explained that the division will inspect and inventory all equipment, which includes following guidelines for properly packing hazardous materials. Once completed, a team will load the aircraft. A recent mission of the LRC's Transportation Division was handling deployed equipment transportation for the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion.

Supply and Services

The LRC would not exist without the Supply and Services Division. Its operations vary from issuing uniforms, collecting office equipment, vehicles and hazardous materials, to supporting the installation's dining facilities, or DFACs.

Thunderbird and Weinstein Village DFACs fall under the LRC's Supply and Services Division, including the meals that are prepared for those working out at Black Tower near Fort Huachuca's West Gate.

"A lot of people don't know [the DFACs] fall under the LRC," Songer said.

He explained that while the logistical support of this division varies by facility; each has its own set of intricacies which not only relate to the other divisions but complete the LRC's overall mission.

Supply Support Activity

One of the largest operations out of the Supply and Services Division is the Supply Support Activity, or SSA. The SSA provides requisition, receipt, storage and issue support for supplies such as repair parts for vehicles, engines, generators, and also spare tires.

"This is where acquisition begins and ends," said Ramona Lanham, SSA Stock Control Activity supply technician lead.

Lanham refers to the Stock Control Activity section of the SSA. It manages the Standard Army Supply System, or SARSS, a real-time, transaction-oriented system which stores supply information, and the Authorized Stockage List, or ASL. This part of the SSA supports around 90 customers, including the Presidio of Monterey in California.

According to Teresa Richards, SSA accountable officer, the SARSS program is switching over to a new system, the Global Combat Support System-Army, or GCSS-A. The transition will be completed by March 2015.

In the ASL Area, customers can fill acquisition requests, if items are available, Richards explained.

"[The] warehouser acquires Material Request Orders from SARSS, pulls products from the location, confirms orders in SARSS and issues [the acquisition] to customers," she said.

Richards added that the SSA receives shipments from commercial trucks and processes them in the Automated Manifest System and in SARSS if products in the shipment go to the ASL Area. Once inventoried and recorded, items from the shipment are distributed throughout post.

Also falling under the SSA is the Central Turn In Point, or CTIP, and HazMart sections. CTIP receives excess equipment, such as office furniture, computers and vehicles. These items are recorded in SARSS and their next stop is determined by the Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Center.

The HazMart facility maintains and issues hazardous material to authorized customers. Products located in HazMart include oils, paints, soaps, batteries, printer ink, cleaning solutions and other chemicals.

Steve Willsey, HazMart warehouse specialist, explained that anything considered even semi-hazardous and ordered through the Supply and Services Division will travel to HazMart where it is tracked with a serial number until the unit comes to pick it up.

The serial number stays with the product until it gets used up. The unit then returns the serial number on the product package so the item can be recorded by HazMart personnel as "expended."

Willsey pointed out a little-known program that could save units money. The Cost Avoidance Program consists of excess items housed at the facility that can be reused. He gives the examples of extra paint cans units could acquire from HazMart for free if they needed to paint a break room and unused ink cartridges that could be used in printers.

"We make a list of all the free stuff we have and send it out to the units," Willsey added.

Those interested in the listed products must sign a requisition form to pick up their requested items.

Richards said that before Soldiers go and use their credit card to purchase an item whether it's through HazMart or the ASL Area, they should check with the SSA first to see if it's not already on hand.

Willsey added that even if a hazardous product is bought with a credit card, it must still come through HazMart to receive a serial number.

For more information on what qualifies as a hazardous product and the Cost Avoidance Program, call 520.533.3477.

Installation Property Book

Supply and Services personnel often use the phrase, "from the cradle to the grave," which signifies that all Army property is tracked from the time it is purchased until it is no longer in use.

Perhaps no one in the Supply and Services Division knows this phrase better than the Installation Property Book Office. There, personnel ensure all Army-purchased items are accounted for correctly.

"If Army funds purchase equipment, [this equipment] is tracked," said Sally Monson, Installation Property Book supply technician.

The office manages all Army-purchased equipment on post with the exception of that owned by the signal units.

Ammunition Supply Point

The Ammunition Supply Point, or ASP, provides ammunition support in a retail environment to Department of Defense customers as well as other government agencies. The ASP's main functions are ammunition storage, the issuing of ammunition to customers, and the receipt of shells and casings after use.

Central Issue Facility

When it comes to the logistics of uniforms for Soldiers, the Central Issue Facility, or CIF, assists with the issuing and turn-in of organizational clothing and individual equipment, or OCIE. CIF recently assisted deploying Soldiers of the 40th ESB with ordering and collecting their uniforms and other gear. Depending what type of OCIE is ordered, often times CIF personnel conduct classes on correct use of specialized equipment.

CIF is located in Building 90312 off Machol Avenue. For more information, call 520.533.8771.