Entering into a new mission can be a challenge. Even more so when things don't go quite as planned to complete the mission you are set out to do.
Such is the case for 1st Battalion, 313th Logistics Support Regiment, an Army Reserve unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., who mobilized with the 72nd Field Artillery Brigade at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, September 2014.
"It has been the balancing act of preparing all equipment for transfer along with providing that same equipment to training units rotating through JB MDL," explained Chief Warrant Officer 2 Katherine Whitetree, 1-313th LSBn battalion maintenance officer. "It has truly been a challenge but we have been able to make it work."
When 1-313th LSBn took on the mobilization mission, they knew that in line with Operation Bold Shift's consolidation initiative, they were responsible for closing down shop here. That means consolidating the equipment, conducting a complete inventory and returning inoperable equipment to fully mission capable status prior to transferring said equipment to units in need. The logistics and maintenance sections have been steadily shipping out everything from trucks to radio sets and everything in between.
In order to get a handle on what they would be dealing with, Whitetree and Cpt. Fatima McPhaul, the battalion logistics officer, worked closely with their sister unit and predecessor 3rd Battalion, 313th Logistics Support Regiment. They worked in unison, using the same tracking systems and products to help make the transition run more smoothly.
"We were accountable for over 50 new line-item numbers and $15,000,000.00 worth of equipment dedicated to the operation," said McPhaul. "The unit fell in on vehicles, various pieces of equipment from everything to running a complete motor pool to all the computers and laptops to staff a battalion."
One of the difficulties both LSBNs encountered was that many of the vehicles had mechanical issues due to the fact they were used mainly as training sets. The constant use by rotational post-deployment forces amplified normal wear and tear. With little resources to ready them not only for transfer, but also to be fully mission capable for units that were still conducting training at JB MDL was a constant feat.
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, the funding for repair parts was cut off and we have had to make do with the parts that we fell in on and making as many working relationships with the surrounding motor pools," explained Whitetree.
Low and behold, a small amount of funding at the beginning of February finally arrived and the team have been steadily utilizing it in order to bring the remainder of our fleet up to fully mission capable. Whitetree spoke of long days and weekends that the crew must endure in order to meet requirements by the end of mission, May 13, 2015.
There is a reason that President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address promotes the idea of businesses employing veterans; Soldiers get things done.
"I have to admit that is has been very difficult to keep a fleet of vehicles running with no funding for the first six months, but I have a phenomenal platoon of mechanics who have worked diligently to maintain an 85% fully mission capable rate without the funding to maintain the fleet," said Whitetree. "It was a matter of utilizing the parts that we already had, the relationships with the surrounding maintenance facilities and a crew of great mechanics."
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