Teamwork is one of the most important elements in meeting the challenges of conducting the worldwide AOAP mission. I want to recognize the efforts of the various activities in supporting the AOAP mission in Southwest Asia.
In SWA, the LOGSA AOAP PMO has command and control of five oil analysis laboratories
which are operating at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Balad, Iraq; Tikrit, Iraq; Bagram, Afghanistan,
and the new lab which was stood up at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan in July, 2009. During the early phase of the SWA contingency operations, oil analysis support was provided by 2 mobile laboratories deployed to the theater, building up to a total of 4 mobile units strategically located supporting SWA operations.
The mobile labs, with their quick reaction capability, have served us very well for over 20 years and have seen action in every major US contingency during their life span. Over the past 12 months, two of the older mobile units were replaced by more efficient fixed base facilities, and now a third one is in the final stages of being replaced.
The "fixed" facilities provide the additional space configuration for the newer high tech diagnostics equipment and provide for a more efficient workflow. One of LOGSA's highest priorities for the past several months has been to establish an AOAP laboratory at the Kandahar location to meet new operational requirements in Southern Afghanistan. A short timeframe to
accomplish this presented challenges; however, the 401st and 402nd Army Field Support Battalions provided critical support in site preparation at Kandahar and coordinating the in-country logistics to move one of the mobile labs from Iraq to the new site. The AFSB's do a tremendous job in supporting AOAP operations in SWA.
The PM, Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment Transportation Team working here on Redstone Arsenal also deserves recognition. When PM AOAP was searching for a faster way to get the support equipment and initial supply of consumable items to SWA for the new lab, the PM RAID Team
came forward and offered to include the AOAP items with their scheduled SWA shipments
via Air Force C-5. The RAID Transportation team was totally committed in helping us get the AOAP items in place for standing up the new Kandahar lab.
The level of team work involved to establish a new oil analysis capability at the Kandahar
location was very impressive!"
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