Logistics U.S. Marines prepare to head home after keeping SPMAGTF-CR-CC ready for crisis response in the Middle East

Photo By Sgt. Ricardo Hurtado | U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Maxwell Eberbach, a hospitalman with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC), performs a medical screening on a notional evacuee as part of a non-combatant evacuation operation exercise, Feb. 18, 2015. During the exercise, SPMAGTF-CR-CC Marines set up an evacuation control center where notional evacuees were screened, registered, processed and transported out of a scenario-driven area in the middle east. SPMAGTF-CR-CC is deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility with a crisis response mission spanning 20 nations. (Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Rick Hurtado / Released).  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

04.12.2016

Story by Sgt. Ricardo Hurtado 

Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia – U.S. Marines are known for their ability to quickly respond to crises around the world in matter of hours. It is one of the many capabilities attributed to the Marine Corps’ amphibious roots and adaptability to different types of warfare.
U.S. Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) are currently deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility serving as a crisis response force in the region. Additionally, SPMAGTF-CR-CC Marines and Sailors offer support for Task Force Al Asad (TFAA) and Task Force Al Taqaddum (TFTQ), both in Iraq, while they provide advise and assist to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) during Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), which focuses on defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.
Being ready and capable to respond to crises is a team effort among the elements within the SPMAGTF. The logistics combat element (LCE) is one of those elements and plays an imperative role in the success of the force.
The LCE provides tactical level logistics support to SPMAGTF-CR-CC in the form of transportation, maintenance, supply and medical capabilities. It is comprised of Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 1, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, Medical Battalion, Maintenance Battalion, Supply Battalion and Headquarters Regiment, all under 1st Marine Logistics Group. Additionally, the LCE counts on augments from Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital, Naval Medical Center San Diego and several reserve units across the nation.
After six months in the Middle East, the latest rotation of SPMAGTF-CR-CC and its elements are preparing to head home.
During the six-month deployment, the LCE supported countless missions and training opportunities throughout the area of operation (AO).
The LCE’s transportation detachment supported tasks and exercises with their Helicopter Support Team (HST) and aerial deliveries, which is often used to resupply ground combat troops. The HST Marines, who are trained to hook-up external loads to hovering helicopters to be lifted and transported, conducted nearly 100 lifts in support of various operations and drills during the six-month time period, according to Lt. Col. Duane Forsberg, the LCE commander.
“We can’t take all the credit, the aerial deliveries and HSTs are possible because there is great cooperation with the Air Combat Element (ACE),” said Forsberg.
In addition to the HST support and aerial deliveries, landing support Marines from the transportation detachment operated the arrival/departure airfield control group (A/DACG) at Al Asad Air Base and other bases in the AO, where they managed and coordinated the movement of over 3,000 troops and almost 2 million pounds of cargo in support of combat operations during OIR. Additionally, the motor transport team moved over 1 million pounds of cargo.
In the event civilians were to be evacuated from an area due to natural disaster or any other type of crisis, SPMAGTF-CR-CC’s maintained and rehearsed the capability of evacuating personnel out of dangerous areas.
The LCE is capable of providing the SPMAGTF with an evacuation control center (ECC), where all evacuees would be processed and transported out. The LCE provides the registration of personnel procedures and, through coordination with other elements of the Special Purpose MAGTF, execute the evacuation.
“[The ECC team] has done an incredible job [compositing] different elements of the Special Purpose MAGTF, the law enforcement detachment, [security forces], [human intelligence assets]…; pulling all those together and building robust standard operation procedures (SOP) that we can execute today, if the Mosul dam went down, to evacuate the Bagdad Embassy compound,” said Forsberg. “That is a significant achievement on their part.”
The LCE also provided the SPMAGTF with over 15 maintenance teams, which are in charge of repairing military equipment and maintaining gear readiness.
“I think what the teams have been able to accomplish is very significant; because not only have we worked on gear that belongs to the MAGTF, but [they’ve] also worked on gear that belongs to the Army; and every time you can fix a piece a gear you’re affecting someone’s ability to do their job and execute their capability,” said Forsberg. “We are averaging 97 percent readiness for the [SPMAGTF] and that includes the equipment that is at the task forces, so that’s pretty notable.”
Forsberg attributed the success of the maintenance teams to their hard work and ability to partner with the supply detachment.
“When I think of maintenance support I think you can’t do maintenance without parts and [those parts come from supply],” said Forsberg.
Forsberg said that the supply team, led by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ashley Coldwell, has done an “outstanding job” on coordinating turnaround times from the moment a replacement part is requested to its delivery, making them and the requesting parties highly efficient. “That immediately impacts the material readiness [of the force],” added Forsberg.
The LCE’s engineer detachment also provided essential support by building up and enhancing force protection infrastructure for TFAA, TFTQ and other installations in the AO.
At TFTQ, engineers upgraded the entry control points. They transported and emplaced over 80 concrete barriers weighing over 1.2 million pounds all combined, placed and filled almost 400 cells of HESCO fortification barriers and installed nearly 400 meters of razor and concertina wire.
“[This was] approximately a three-week project that involved extending the search areas, improving the [entry control point] and moving guard posts to provide standoff,” said Forsberg.
Additionally, engineers installed ballistic glass in all security posts at TFAA to better safeguard the Marines providing safety to the base.
“In Al Asad and TQ, they have robust security force capabilities, and in both areas we have enhanced the force protection. And not only does that protect the SECFOR but it also protects the tenant organizations aboard those airbases,” said Forsberg. “And those Marines standing at [the security towers] at those sites [are running] a high risk operation… on a daily basis, so being able to improve their force protection and their chance of survival in the event of an attack; that to me is a win for everybody involved.”
The engineer detachment supported and completed more than 270 heavy equipment and engineer work requests throughout the AO.
“Medical is [another] huge part of what we do. We have a very unique and highly qualified team… We also have nurses that have special capabilities, and who have been highly trained for in-route care,” said Forsberg. “So in the back of an Osprey they are able to stabilize a casualty and get that [person] back to a facility in that golden hour and that is their job.”
Medical teams were sent to TFAA to help facilitate care for Iraqi soldiers wounded in combat operations. Nearly 80 Iraqi troops were treated by the LCE’s medical personnel in support of TFAA. Forsberg added he is proud of what the medical team has been able to accomplish.
“They have been highly successful in their ability to save a lot of [lives at Al Asad],” added Forsberg.
The medical team also supported to the task forces by teaching Iraqi soldiers combat lifesaving procedures.
The medical team joined force with coalition partners, other U.S. branches of services and, once again, with the SPMAGTF ACE to conduct mass casualty evacuation drills.
“The ACE has been very beneficial also as far as the in-route care training and refining those standard operation procedures,” said Forsberg. “[They have] provided multiple training opportunities for our nurses to get up in the Osprey and to conduct in-route care training.”
Another noticeable accomplishment of the medical team was the development of a sexual assault response SOP to provide the best service to those who may become victims in a forward deployed environment.
U.S. Navy Lt. Amy Leber, a physician assistant with SPMAGTF-CR-CC, took part in developing the SOP.
Leber said the SOP is structured to provide the most efficient service possible to a victim, as resources and options may vary or be limited while deployed.
“One of the biggest things is maintaining privacy of the patient and his or her different reporting options in this environment,” said Leber. “It helps the corpsmen, it helps the provider know what to do and do the best we can and keep privacy.”
Forsberg said the sexual assault SOP is an example of the many SOPs developed by the LCE to ensure future rotations can function as fluent as possible.
“The sexual assault SOP is something you hope you never have to utilize, but it’s best that you do have an understanding and an SOP that you can reference to, because not everyone has the same amount of knowledge on how to respond to a sexual assault,” said Forsberg. “It’s not only the composition of the SOP but they have also practiced it and [run] drills. They look at the response time to get a UVA (uniformed victim advocate), they look to make sure that the first person that [a] victim comes in contact with, which is the front desk personnel,…follow the right steps and they don’t cross boundaries … and I think that is hugely impressive.”
The LCE also counted on the support of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team. The team, led by MSgt. Ryan Glau, conducted several training sessions with Marines and Sailors across the elements of the SPMAGTF, as well as with Iraqi soldiers at TFAA.
The EOD team also assisted in the destruction of thousands of pounds of explosives and defective munitions at TFTQ and TFAA through demolitions ranges.
In order to maintain troops’ moral and everyday amenities, the LCE’s service detachment provided postal, exchange and disbursing services to personnel across the AO. The service detachment ran the disbursing and postal facilities aboard some bases where they received, sorted and distributed mail.
Services Marines also managed the base exchanges and conducted Warrior Exchange Services missions on a monthly basis aboard Al Asad and Al Taqaddum. Services Marines traveled to TFAA and TFTQ with thousands of pounds of merchandise to be sold to troops in the task forces. The items available for sale were those of everyday use and basic needs such as hygiene, clothing and other military style gear, as well as morale boosters like candy and protein shakes.
Whether the mission requires Marines who can hook-up thousands of pounds to a helicopter, drop supplies to combat troops in an isolated area, repair equipment to stay in the fight, transport troops or cargo, and even deliver basic needs like hygiene gear and being able to mail letters home from a combat zone; the logistics combat element makes it possible.
Sgt. Maj. Mark Upp, the LCE sergeant major, said that the environment in the LCE is so fluent that it almost feels as if everyone in the unit has been working together for years.
“We are a team, and it’s all about team work,” said Upp. “If you see the way our Marines operate, from the junior Marines, [noncommissioned officers] and up, you could never guess we came from different units.”
And teamwork has paid off for the LCE and the SPMAGTF. SPMAGTF-CR-CC is a force in readiness thanks to the tireless efforts of its logistics combat element.
“I am blessed to have the team that we have, the group of leaders, when I say leaders I am talking about our young leaders from the NCO (noncommissioned officers) level, Staff NCO and lieutenants are doing a great job,” said Forsberg. “I am very proud of everyone’s efforts across the LCE.”

• Date Taken: 04.12.2016
• Date Posted: 04.12.2016 07:51
• Story ID: 195100
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)