Courtesy Photo | Pvt. Tim J. Gould, a transportation movement coordinator with the 265th Movement...... read more read more
Pvt. Karla P. Rodriguez Maciel
11th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Due to past disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, one of the main focuses for the Ardent Sentry/Northern Edge 2007 exercise was the coordination of transporting thousands of equipped troops and government civilians from around the country into one central area in a matter of days.
The exercise consists of a simulated 10-kiloton nuclear bomb detonation in the city of Indianapolis. In response to such a catastrophe, more than 1,500 civilians and military personnel were deployed to Camp Atterbury, Muscatatuck, Terre Haute, and Shelbyville, Ind., to assist.
There is a lot more to transportation logistics than just providing troops with flight tickets to get them from point A to point B. As a matter of fact, it has taken months of intensive planning and coordination in order to get all personnel in one place within days for the exercise.
Logistics, or J-4, serves three main functions: deployment, air, trail and ground traffic control, and redeployment, said National Guard Lt. Col. Michelle M. Rose, the Joint Task Force Civil Support transportation officer tasked as the Joint Movement Center nightshift chief.
The first challenge for logistics personnel is to get all the assisting units to the site, along with their equipment. Throughout the exercise, it is their responsibility to maintain road, trail and air traffic control in order to support any unit with transportation and supplies they may need to get the job done.
"We haven't necessarily faced many obstacles in logistics thus far. However,
maintaining good communication and coordination with outside agencies is a priority so that missions like these run smoothly," said Air Force Master Sgt. Marvin D. Woody, air transportation specialist with JTF-CS at Fort Monroe, Va. "Then, when real-world emergencies arise, we can be able to act immediately in transporting units to where they need to be."
In order to establish Department of Defense movement, the logistics section had to coordinate with the U.S. Transportation Command, Northern Command, the Defense Movement Coordinator, the Indiana National Guard and local authorities, said Rose.
Throughout the training event, a movement control team out of Fort Lewis, Wash., helped the logistics section keep visibility of all transportation movements.
"Basically our job is to keep track of convoys prior to arrival, assign check points throughout the training area, designate main and alternate supply routes, establish traffic control points and keep an eye on the marshaling yard, where all the units' equipment is kept," said Staff Sgt. Donavan P. Caines, 265th Movement Control Team transportation coordinator from Fort Lewis, Wash.
Once the mission is complete, their last task is to provide all the units with transportation back to their installations.
"Plans for redeployment start approximately a week before they are executed," said Woody. "Depending on the number of assisting civilian and military personnel, it takes about a week to fully clear out of an area."
"Once redeployment begins, our main duty, aside from getting all personnel back to their installations, is to ensure that all of their equipment is sent back to the proper places and that nothing gets left behind," said Sgt. Michael F. Anama, 265th MCT transportation coordinator.
"Logistics is a lot tougher than people think," said Rose. "Things around here definitely have to move fast, especially because it's our job to coordinate getting everyone here in a timely manner."
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2007 10:02 |
| Story ID: | 10428 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 446 |
| Downloads: | 403 |
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