Engineers smooth out ammo operations

Photo By Capt. Ian Shay | Soldiers with the 19th Engineer Battalion out of Fort Knox, Ky., operate a 10k all terrain forklift to load heavy concrete culverts onto a flatbed truck Jan. 14 here. The culverts help mitigate flooding on the roads around Arifjan by allowing water to flow underneath.  

CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT

01.14.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Ian Shay 

143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Soldiers of the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), an Army Reserve operational logistics command headquartered in Orlando, Fla., work hard in conjunction with active duty engineers with the 19th Engineer Battalion, out of Fort Knox, Ky., to innovate the ammunition supply point (ASP) mission here.

Due to the vast amounts of ammunition currently stored here, the ASP requires a more centralized system. That is why soldiers of the 143d ESC are coordinating the movement of trailers that will act as administrative buildings closer to the ASP and the opening of a new maintenance facility right next door.

The new facility will allow for material handling equipment to get fixed indoors, mitigating the cost of repairs by reducing repair time and preventing sand and dirt from interfering with the restore process.

“The move will enable LEIDOS (previously known as Science Applications International Corporation or SAIC) to perform major end item repairs on Camp Arifjan,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Harden, command engineer, 143d ESC. “Previously, the only way to affect end time repair was by removing and replacing the component and sending it stateside for repair. This capability will increase equipment up-time and reduce year over year parts and shipping costs.”

Harden’s skills as a project manager for Alaska Airlines on the civilian side mesh nicely with his military career.

“For the 143d, I am the OIC (officer-in-charge) of the Facilities Management Office and also the Command Engineer, which means I'm in charge of over 150,000 square feet of office space,” said Harden. “I have over 20 years of construction and I.T. (information technology) project management experience. The skills from both jobs complement each other very well.”

The engineers working on the project have been deployed to Arifjan since November 2013. One of their many duties is to ensure that the theater storage area (TSA) roads in and out of Camp Arifjan are up to code. The work done on the TSA roads make it possible for large flat bed trailers (used for hauling ammunition and supplies to and from the ASP), to safely navigate the dirt roads.

The unexpected thunderstorms have washed away several of the unpaved TSA roads and the 19th Engineers are working hard to provide alternate routes while restructuring roads and drainage systems.

“Since we arrived here in November we have been very busy repairing damaged facilities and infrastructure caused by the flood,” said Maj. John Beck, operations officer, 19th ENG BN. “The vast amount of projects has allowed our soldiers to sharpen their technical skills. Having this amount of work at the beginning of our deployment has kept us busy through the holiday season."

• Date Taken: 01.14.2014
• Date Posted: 01.18.2014 02:32
• Story ID: 119339
• Location: CAMP ARIFJAN, KW
• Hometown: FORT KNOX, KY, US
• Hometown: ORLANDO, FL, US