Deep Dives at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on October 30, 2025. VIEW ORIGINAL
In today’s operational environment, amid new Army structure changes, mobile brigade combat teams face a unique challenge. The Army continues to field new vehicles and weapons systems across formations. At the same time, the brigades continue to operate with the same number of maintainers, all while managing new demands, integrating additional equipment, and sustaining legacy systems. This combination increases the demand for technical knowledge, diagnostic skill, and disciplined maintenance practices. To meet this demand, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (2MBCT) leverages maintenance deep dives led by U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) as a critical enabler of readiness across the brigade.
TACOM partners closely with the Army Field Support Battalion–Bragg (AFSBn-Bragg) to sustain operational readiness for XVIII Airborne Corps and units at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As one of the Army’s major lifecycle management commands, TACOM provides direct support to units stationed at Fort Bragg through its forward-positioned logistics assistance representatives (LARs). The LARS serve as the bridge between national-level sustainment expertise and tactical-level execution.
TACOM’s presence at Fort Bragg ensures that units have immediate access to technical support for a wide range of systems, including tactical vehicles, small arms, artillery, and Soldier support equipment. These experts are embedded with the AFSBn and work together with brigade maintenance teams to troubleshoot complex issues, guide diagnostics, and accelerate readiness. The LARs assigned to Fort Bragg are seasoned professionals with decades of experience who specialize in specific platforms and systems. Their ability to provide on-the-spot technical assistance, interpret technical manuals, and navigate sustainment systems makes them indispensable to unit-level maintenance operations.
TACOM LARs ensure that Fort Bragg’s formations are empowered to maintain and sustain their equipment at the highest levels. Their presence enhances the effectiveness of maintenance deep dives, accelerates code-out processes, and builds long-term technical competence across the force. Without TACOM LARs, units would struggle to keep pace with the increasing demands of modernization, leaving formations less prepared to sustain complex systems and more vulnerable to readiness shortfalls.
As units modernize with Army transformation initiative changes and adapt to evolving mission requirements, the expertise provided by TACOM and its embedded LARs becomes increasingly essential. This support is especially critical as maintenance formations face growing system complexity without a corresponding increase in personnel. While the number of maintenance personnel from fiscal year (FY) 25 to FY26 has stayed relatively the same, the complexity and quantity of systems have increased. The continued integration of new vehicles, weapons, and sustainment platforms has added even more to the maintainers’ workload.
To meet this challenge, 2MBCT conducts quarterly maintenance deep dives in partnership with TACOM. The brigade selects a vehicle type or system to focus on, and battalions present their toughest cases: the equipment they cannot repair, diagnose, or code out. TACOM’s LARs provide onsite support, delivering hands‑on troubleshooting and documenting unresolved issues. The process enables units to either restore equipment to full mission-capable status through improved expertise or complete the documentation required to initiate divestiture. By conducting the maintenance deeps dives, 2MBCT maximizes the effectiveness of available personnel by improving technical competence and sharpening diagnostic skills.
TACOM LARs now play an even larger role in this process. These subject matter experts act as force multipliers, bridging gaps in technical expertise that may not exist at the unit level. By embedding with battalions during deep dives, LARs troubleshoot problems in real time and share knowledge that extends far beyond the immediate repair. Their capabilities include advanced diagnostics, fault isolation, repair verification, and sustainment planning. LARs also serve as liaisons to the broader TACOM enterprise, helping units navigate complex logistics systems, order hard-to-find parts, and escalate issues that require higher-level support. Their presence ensures paratroopers learn to understand system behaviors, diagnose root causes, and reduce repeat faults rather than simply replacing parts. This mentorship model not only improves readiness but also builds a culture of technical excellence within the formation.
A recurring challenge in brigade maintenance operations is the overreliance on ordering replacement parts instead of troubleshooting and repairing the original component. Deep dives directly confront this issue. Through hands-on instruction and guided problem solving, maintainers learn to diagnose faults step by step rather than defaulting to part replacement. This approach conserves critical Class IX repair parts, reduces costs, and develops Soldiers into maintainers who can handle complex issues with confidence and independence.
This shift in mindset, from replacement to repair, has far-reaching implications. It fosters a deeper understanding of system functionality, encourages critical thinking, and promotes resource stewardship. With limited budgets and increasingly strained supply chains, the ability to extend the life of existing equipment through skilled maintenance is a strategic advantage. TACOM deep dives cultivate this capability by creating an environment where learning is hands on, iterative, and directly tied to operational outcomes.
Brigades also face a systemic issue with the limited number of technical warrant officers in every specialty available to lead advanced troubleshooting. Every battalion has an assigned automotive warrant, but brigades are authorized only one computer and electronics warrant and one armament warrant to oversee the brigade’s entire stock. Authorized positions and actual assignments often do not align, further limiting available expertise in these specialties. Automotive warrants must manage the fleet, computer and electronics equipment, and armament. This broad responsibility forces them to act as jacks-of-all-trades, focusing on major problems while leaving less time to address smaller but still important issues. At the same time, new warrants and junior NCOs may not yet have the experience to take on the hardest cases.
TACOM deep dives close this gap by providing on-demand expertise, giving warrant officers opportunities to grow professionally, and allowing NCOs to build the confidence they need to lead maintenance formations. Each event serves not only as technical training but also as leader development.
Leader development is critical to maintain operational readiness. By working alongside TACOM LARs, junior leaders gain exposure to advanced diagnostic techniques, learn how to manage complex maintenance workflows, and develop the judgment needed to make informed decisions under pressure. These experiences accelerate their growth and prepare them for future leadership roles within the Army’s maintenance enterprise. Moreover, the collaborative nature of deep dives fosters a sense of shared purpose and mutual respect between Soldiers and civilian experts, reinforcing the idea that readiness is a collective responsibility.
Another critical benefit of TACOM’s involvement is their ability to accelerate the code-out process for excess and legacy equipment. TACOM provides direct assistance with procedures and paperwork for submission to the property book officer, ensuring accuracy and speed. As 2MBCT continues to modernize with new equipment, there is no established process for turning in legacy items. Previously, the brigade benefited from streamlined divestment through modernization displacement and repair sites (MDRS), centralized hubs designed to receive, assess, and redistribute displaced equipment during modernization efforts. However, with MDRS no longer available, the process has become more complex and time consuming. As a result, the brigade often holds onto non-mission-capable or outdated platforms longer than desired due to uncertainty in disposition or a lack of technical knowledge to code them out.
TACOM deep dives bring in the expertise needed to validate equipment status, ensure administrative requirements are met, and push excess material into proper divestment channels. This reduces the burden on maintenance formations, clears motor pools of mountains of excess, and allows leaders to focus resources on the systems that matter most for current missions. The ability to rapidly and accurately assess non-repairable equipment also improves accountability, reduces clutter, and enhances the overall efficiency of brigade operations.
Ultimately, maintenance deep dives are about more than fixing non-mission-capable vehicles; they represent a deliberate investment in both people and readiness. When asked his opinion of deep dives, COL Derek Noel, 2MBCT commander, emphasized: “Many of our code outs require TACOM’s approval, and their deep dives ensure the paperwork is correct from the start. This expedites the process, builds leaders, empowers warrants and NCOs, and keeps this brigade ready for the next fight.”
While TACOM LARs and other subject matter experts provide invaluable advisory support, 2MBCT would benefit even more if these professionals were authorized to physically touch the equipment during deep dives. Direct hands-on work accelerates troubleshooting, builds credibility with paratroopers, and allows experts to model best practices. It also confirms technical findings on the spot and reinforces training in ways that advice alone cannot achieve. Restoring this capability would make deep dives even more effective and ensure knowledge transfer remains practical and theoretical.
The value of TACOM’s involvement cannot be overstated. Their ability to integrate institutional knowledge with tactical execution creates a powerful synergy that enhances every aspect of brigade maintenance. Whether diagnosing a hard-to-find fault in a sniper rifle, guiding a young NCO through a hydraulic issue on a heavy expanded mobility tactical–truck, or helping a unit divest of a legacy light medium tactical vehicle, TACOM’s presence ensures that 2MBCT remains agile, lethal, and mission ready.
2MBCT continues to meet the Army’s uncompromising standards of readiness through training maintainers, strengthening relationships with AFSBn and TACOM, and clearing out excess equipment. These efforts ensure operational efficiency and sustained preparedness across the brigade. As the Army modernizes its fleet and adjusts its force structure, the value of TACOM’s maintenance deep dives will only grow. These events ensure 2MBCT remains agile, lethal, and capable of executing its missions no matter the challenge.
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MAJ Bobbi Walden serves as the support operations officer for 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. She has a Master of Business Administration from Mid-America Nazarene University and master’s degree in operational science from the Command and General Staff College.
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This article was published in the winter 2026 issue of Army Sustainment.
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