PIRMASENS, Germany -- As the theater lead agent for medical materiel, commonly known as the TLAMM, the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Europe serves a variety of roles for land-based military forces overseas.
But what about those afloat?
USAMMC-E, a direct reporting unit of Army Medical Logistics Command, also covers the medical materiel needs for every U.S. Navy vessel deployed in its area of responsibility, covering U.S. European Command, U.S. African Command and U.S. Central Command.
To ensure coordination and communication, USAMMC-E has embraced virtual channels to continue providing regular training on the use of the Theater Enterprise Wide Logistics System, or TEWLS, which is used to order and track medical supplies.
One recent training was administered to Sailors aboard USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base deployed to the region. Additional training is scheduled for USS Port Royal (CG 73).
“The training increased communication, teamwork and led to a smooth transition into the AOR,” said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Joshua Aycock, a Navy liaison at USAMMC-E who provided the training.
“Most supply reps on the ship have no background experience with ordering supplies through the TLAMM,” he said. “This training is critical to the success of their mission.”
Without this training, “there is a high possibility of medical supply depletion which will decrease operational readiness,” Aycock added.
TEWLS consolidates multiple medical logistics functions into a single portal, including warehousing of medical materiel, distribution and transportation management, creation and management of medical assemblages and instantaneous data sharing among Department of Defense logisticians worldwide.
Customers usually take online training to aid in accessing the TEWLS Web Portal, which is a tool to search for materiel, check sales order status, run reports and more, said Martina Schlaegel, a member of the TEWLS education team for USAMMC-E’s Business Support Office.
The BSO at USAMMC-E consists of 14 staff members, who also support units in Korea, Qatar and three forward logistics elements in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan with training and support.
“Sessions are scheduled throughout the enterprise to provide shorter training segments, identify and understand user problems, explain future system changes and enhancements, and generally provide guidance on a myriad of questions and issues,” Schlaegel said.
The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, also a direct reporting unit of AMLC, offers similar support to all deploying units from the continental U.S., according to Margaret Garguilo, TEWLS education team lead for USAMMA’s BSO.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, TEWLS instructors also have adopted a “hybrid” training approach that includes two instructors on site with a unit while additional trainers leverage Microsoft Teams to provide classroom instruction, hands-on exercises, mock scenario-based practice sessions and more, Garguilo said.
Stationed at USAMMC-E, Aycock works for the customer support detachment from Navy Medical Logistics Command, which provides support for the Navy’s activities across the region and customers from the Army and Air Force as needed.
“This collaboration is critical in times of emergent or urgent orders from any customer, which is a great thing,” he said.
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