FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii -- U.S. Army, Pacific, Contingency Command Post Soldiers need to be ready to deploy at a moment's notice anywhere in the Pacific.
For this reason and to prepare for logistical movements, USARPAC Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion (HHBn) and CCP Soldiers participated in a deployment exercise (DEPEX) April 11.
Soldiers of the CCP are prepared to support a variety of missions including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, civil-military coordination, non-combatant evacuation and peace operations. The CCP is a 96-person organization that can perform the same functions as a theater-army headquarters to establish initial operating capabilities.
As CCP Soldiers prepare to deploy, HHBn Soldiers assist in the deployment process by ensuring that their equipment is ready to roll out with them.
Staff Sgt. Vernon Hartnett, Battalion Transportation NCO for HHBn, HSC Co. and non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the DEPEX said exercises like this are important for the CCP so it is prepared not only to deploy anywhere within the Pacific within 96 hours but also so to ensure familiarization with the process so the unit can redeploy without the battalion's support.
"It helps the CCP maintain their self sufficiency so they don't have to rely on outside elements [at least on the return trip], and it helps the battalion because it exercises skills we don't use on a day-to-day basis," Hartnett said.
During the DEPEX vehicles and equipment moved through eight stations including: maintenance inspection; blocking and bracing of vehicle cargo; fueling/defueling; hazardous material inspection; "frustrated" load management; weight and center balancing; and final inspection and convoy staging. These are exactly the same stations that Soldiers will maneuver during a real deployment.
Staff Sgt. David Blankenship, a senior mechanic with HHBn, HSC Co. explained the importance of the maintenance inspections and his role in ensuring that CCP vehicles are ready to deploy.
"We go over 57 points on the equipment to ensure there's no leaks or damage or other issues and if there are any issues we fix them as quickly as possible, that way we're 100 percent mission capable," he said.
Blankenship also emphasized the importance of the training in preparation for a real world deployment.
"The more exercises we get will benefit us in the long run. We'll be able to deploy our equipment very fast based on that muscle memory that we build."
Staff Sgt. Anthony Bogan, a senior intelligence analyst with the CCP said Soldiers of the CCP don't get a chance to exercise these skills on a daily basis and the battalion's role in the DEPEX is critically important.
"The battalion's participation is huge in getting us out of the door to foreign countries. This training allows us to get hands on because we'll actually redeploy ourselves," said Bogan.
Training like this ensures that the CCP will be ready to pack up, move out and accomplish their mission, no matter where it is in the Pacific, he said. (You have to attribute this to someone otherwise it is editorial in nature).
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