2-20 FAR turns in excess OCIE, spearheads R2O

FORT SILL, Okla. – The 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment (2-20 FAR) executed a Rapid Removal of Excess OCIE (R2O) at the Fort Sill Central Issue Facility Feb. 3 through 7.

R2O is an off shoot of the Army’s Rapid Removal of Excess Equipment program, which aims to divest excess and obsolete equipment from units’ property books, alleviating maintenance and storage requirements so units can focus on training. R2O aims to accomplish the same task, this time focused on Soldiers’ Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment (OCIE).

“R2O’s goal is to reduce the burden of excess OCIE on each Soldier,” said Lindsay Grant, an Army Materiel Command Public Affairs Specialist. “The Army is working to ensure our Soldiers have the right gear and can focus on training and operating at their best.”

Grant said 2-20 FAR is the second proof of principle for the R2O pilot program. Rock Island Arsenal, located in Rock Island, Illinois, was the first, collecting around 3,000 pounds of equipment in late 2024.

Soldiers, especially senior Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), accumulate a lot of excess and obsolete equipment throughout their military service, explained Capt. John Fitzgerald, the 2-20 FAR Logistics Officer. “We’re here to take care of Soldiers by alleviating the burden of having that excess equipment on their clothing record.”

Sgt. Christian Peters, a Company Unit Supply Sergeant, was very happy to turn in his excess and obsolete OCIE. “I think everybody here is happy to be getting rid of this stuff, especially those who have been in for a while,” he said. “Every time they look at that CIF record – your Sergeants Major and your [Warrant Officers] and your big time Colonels and Officers – they’re going to look at that list and give a big sigh of relief to see it condense.”

Peters said he saw some senior NCOs turning in old Battle Dress Uniforms, which were formally discontinued by the Army in April 2008. Sgt. Maj. Craig Carroll was one of those senior NCOs.

“I have a storage unit that has quite a few items that I’m tired of carrying from installation to installation. It’s good to get rid of some of these older items from the beginning of my career that I’ve had for 20 some years now,” said Carroll. He turned in approximately two duffel bags full of excess equipment valued at around $16,000, with still more to turn in.