FORT SILL, Okla., Feb. 2, 2017 -- The Army Transportation Corps, referred to as the "Spearhead of Logistics," has delivered critical, time-sensitive equipment to Soldiers since it was formally recognized as a corps on July 31, 1942.
The 15th Transportation Company (TC), 100th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), continued that tradition Jan. 24, as its Soldiers conducted a 564-mile line haul container delivery operation to support the 75th Field Artillery Brigade's (FAB) warfighter exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, thereby reducing the cost by moving the equipment themselves. The mission not only provided greater flexibility to the brigade's mobility plan, but it also served as excellent training for the transportation company and 100th BSB staff.
Mobility is a critical piece of how Army combat brigades deploy their organizations. The ability for commanders to maximize movement assets and integrate multi-modal transportation is key to efficient and economic movement. Previously, the 75th FAB used rail, air, and commercial highway assets for deployment, but the 15th TC's line haul mission to Fort Hood was the first time the brigade integrated military transportation assets into its mobility plan.
"Our Soldiers possess tremendous pride conducting sustainment operations. I challenged the support operations section to find quality opportunities for the 15th TC to get on the road to support the brigade mobility plan," said Lt. Col. Toni Rieke, 100th BSB commander. "What better way than to support the 75th FA Brigade, save money from contracting commercial assets, and provide our Soldiers with an excellent training opportunity. You could see the excitement in their eyes as they trained and prepared for their missions."
Transporting the equipment also trained 15th TC Soldiers for their primary wartime task. The company, a Palletized Load System (PLS) Truck Company comprised of 60 PLS trucks and trailers with a 33-ton capacity, is tailor-made for long distance, line haul operations transporting multi-class supplies and containerized loads. The company had already completed three long haul convoys to prepare for the 75th FAB mission, traveling distances of 100, 200 and 800 miles within Oklahoma.
Capt. Dan Trevino, 15th TC commander, said the line haul mission was a wonderful training opportunity.
"The Soldiers and leaders of 1st Platoon were thrilled with the opportunity to provide real world logistical support for the warfighter exercise. 1st Platoon was trained and prepared to successfully execute their assigned mission which was nested with our core Mission Essential Task List," said Trevino. "Without a doubt, I was excited to watch their confidence grow as they successfully completed their mission."
The experience proved worthwhile to the company's junior leaders and Soldiers. With the Army's shift from over a decade of counterinsurgency operations to decisive action operational environments, commanders will increasingly integrate military and commercial assets to provide the greatest effect. Junior officers and Soldiers will lead that effort in the future force.
2nd Lt. Ryan Battistoni, platoon leader, noted 1st Platoon was more than ready to provide transportation operations for the warfighter exercise mission.
"These past couple months, our platoon conditioned our Soldiers' driving endurance and exercised our equipment," he said. "This mission was a true test of our training, and we were overly ecstatic."
Given the uniqueness of the mission, the battalion's support operations staff worked closely with the 75th FAB's Warrant Officer Marlon Barrett, the brigade's mobility warrant officer and Bob Shady, the Unit Movement Office chief, to submit the proper public highway regulatory requirements to the Oklahoma and Texas departments of transportation and to certify containers for shipment.
The 100th BSB support operations staff possessed years of knowledge on combat transportation operations, but to determine the process to legally operate military assets on U.S. public highways presented an opportunity to increase the staff's technical knowledge.
Sgt. 1st Class Eric Russell, the 100th BSB support operations transportation noncommissioned officer, said it was a challenging but rewarding mission.
"Our staff gained an enormous amount of invaluable knowledge while coordinating this mission. Despite coordinating many missions in my career, the complexity of planning this mission truly improved my knowledge on U.S. highway regulations and improved our staff's working relationship with the logistics readiness center," said Russell. "We definitely look forward to future opportunities to support the brigade."
As 75th FAB mission requirements increase, the necessity for a reliable, timely, and integrated transportation network will continue to be an invaluable aspect of brigade mobility. The ability for the commander to maximize movement assets and integrate multi-modal transportation remains key to efficient and economic movement. With mission completed and lessons learned, the 100th BSB and 15th TC stand postured to provide the brigade with long distance, line haul capabilities to transport its multi-class supplies and containerized loads to any destination.
Social Sharing