ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – When Soldiers plant their feet in fresh soil, they need to be able to hit the ground running. The U. S. Army Sustainment Command helps provide anything a Soldier wears, eats, or shoots, but they wouldn’t be able to accomplish this without the help of the G4 (Logistics Supply) directorate.
From the U.S. Army’s largest controlled humidity vehicle warehouse to engineering in-vehicle battery maintenance systems, G4 has a hand in warehouses and equipment across the world. Together, the four divisions that make up G4 – Facilities Management and Engineering, Equipment, Readiness, and Safety – strive to improve operational capabilities, keep Soldiers safe, and make the most of the Army’s storage space.
Facilities Management and Engineering
The facilities management and engineering division was a big part of the Army’s largest controlled humidity vehicle storage warehouse in Camp Carroll, South Korea, which is nearly 400 thousand square feet. That’s six times bigger than the White House.
The space serves a purpose in not only housing supplies, but also saving the Army money, according to Tracy Neitzer, Facility Management and Engineering Chief. Having more controlled, covered storage space means less frequent maintenance is needed in order to ensure that Soldiers have working equipment whenever they need it. For Army Prepositioned Stock – locations where equipment is on the ground and ready-to-use for the warfighter – this is important and beneficial. The South Korea facility is part of APS-4.
“We must be involved in the early stages of facility planning and development, as the foundation is the most critical for ensuring success,” said Neitzer. “For existing facilities, we promote periodic facility assessments to address repairs or failing conditions and correct any deficiencies or promote modernization plans. We not only thoroughly understand the standards and requirements, in some cases we help develop them.”
“Tanks and trucks (parked outside and not in active use) would need shop maintenance every two years, but they can be safely stored in controlled humidity warehouses for up to four years between maintenance,” said G4 Senior facilities engineer William Ellis. “One complete maintenance service on a large, armored vehicle can take over 100 man-hours. Cutting those costs in half with no reduction in readiness is an enormous cost avoidance to the Army,” he said. “The period between functional exercising of vehicles is similarly extended. Where stored outdoors in poor conditions such as high humidity or salty air, maintenance and exercise is needed much more frequently, so storage in humidity control is even more beneficial.”
Ellis added that the warehouse protects equipment from humidity, dust and sunshine – all which can be detrimental to sitting equipment.
The division focuses on supporting facilities worldwide. This includes everything from budget planning and programming to engineering design and construction management. They also work on repair and maintenance as well as modernization. For example, an engineer designed an auxiliary power inlet at an APS maintenance shop, allowing a generator to be connected quickly and easily if there is a power failure.
The team also improved and installed in-vehicle battery maintenance systems in Army vehicles. The systems extend the battery life of vehicles as well as provide visual confirmation of the battery’s condition.
Equipment
Once any equipment needs to be replaced, it’s in the hands of the equipment division. Their mission is to maximize operational readiness for Soldiers by making sure equipment is distributed and managed effectively. This allows Soldiers to hit the ground anywhere in the world with ready-to-use equipment on location rather than waiting for the arrival of their gear via shipment.
“We are responsible for managing excess and shortage equipment across all brigades, battalions and logistics readiness centers,” explained equipment and logistics analysis chief Raphael Garrison.
One big project is the electric vehicle conversion program under the U.S. Army Materiel Command -- the primary provider of materiel to the Army, and ASC’s higher headquarters. The program focuses on converting greenhouse gas vehicles to electric.
Readiness
Without inspections, Soldiers could face dangerous situations with their equipment. The Readiness division handles inspections for seven Army Field Support Brigades and 68 garrisons worldwide to make sure regulatory standards are being met for accountability and maintenance compliance, particularly for things like APS where the equipment may be needed quickly. They’re also in charge of preparing and staffing maintenance personnel across ASC, overseeing the supply and maintenance excellence programs, and managing investigations concerning financial liability.
“We are constantly implementing processes and policies to better assist our supported organizations with property accountability and maintenance functions,” said Readiness Division Chief Wendy Galloway. She added that some feedback indicated ongoing issues with APS-2 throughout Europe, and that lead to the maintenance team adding information to audit reports, pushing the checklists back to the brigades, and ensuring the brigades monitor their Army Field Support Battalions and Logistics Readiness Centers.
Safety
When it comes to managing thousands of pounds of equipment and their facilities, safety is paramount. Without safety, Soldiers and everyone else involved could risk injuries during the process of improving or moving equipment and facilities. The ASC safety team has been effective – in fact, they won the Department of the Army Exceptional Organization Safety Award for fiscal year 2023.
“It’s definitely a team effort from the whole enterprise safety team from headquarters at ASC down to the lowest level,” said Safety and Occupational Health Division Chief Robert Petty. “We have so many teammates working together to reach a common goal – Army readiness.”
Petty explained that the safety division focuses on all aspects of safety including transportation, chemical, ammunition and explosives, operations, and recreational. The goal is ensuring lines of communication are open, and for each person to take ownership.
Petty said that rapidly changing missions and the expansion of APS operations are just a couple of the challenges he faces. However, he has more than 40 safety professionals – known as Unit Safety Officers -- across the world to help with the wide variety of safety-related issues ASC faces.
Between the four divisions, ASC is running smoothly, but always striving to improve. Without G4, ASC wouldn’t be able to provide Soldiers with the tools they need worldwide. Thanks to the G4 team, the Army can count on having what they need, when they need it.
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