Photo By Sgt. Jacob Marlin | An Afghan National Army supply truck sits in line prior to a validation convoy from...... read more read more
PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan — With Afghan National Army soldiers throughout the 203rd Thunder Corps fighting insurgents on a daily basis, supplies can mean the difference between life and death.
That’s why the ANA Regional Logistics Support Command-Southeast has one of the most important jobs on the battlefield. The RLSC-SE’s mission is to transport equipment and supplies from the corps headquarters at Forward Operating Base Thunder, to ANA brigades throughout the 203rd Corps area of operations.
For the past six months, soldiers of the 10th Sustainment Brigade at Forward Operating Base Lightning have been training and mentoring ANA RLSC-SE soldiers to help establish a system so the logisticians within the corps can supply their brigades.
Brigade soldiers started with the basics; teaching RLSC-SE soldiers and commanders the basics of convoy operations. Pre-convoy planning, communications, reacting to contact, and load plans.
After six months of training, it all came down to one convoy.
RLSC-SE soldiers performed a convoy from FOB Lightning to FOB Shank in neighboring Logar province along with members of the 10th Sust. Bde., to prove they have the skills to perform logistical convoys throughout the 203rd Corps area of operations.
“This was their first legitimate convoy,” said U.S. Army Maj. Rabi Singh, the commander of the 10th Sust. Bde. team at FOB Lightning. “After this convoy, if everything goes well, they will be validated to perform convoy operations.”
While staging at FOB Lightning, the ANA in the convoy performed essential pre-convoy tasks like radio checks and ensured weapons systems were armed and ready for any enemy contact.
The convoy consisted of 23 ANA supply and security vehicles followed closely by several Coalition Force vehicles to observe and later conduct an after action review with the ANA forces.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kendrick Grimsley, a mentor with the 10th Sust. Bde., came along for the dry run as the intelligence and operations mentor for the RLSC-SE.
“We just wanted to get them on the road since this is their first actual convoy,” said Grimsley. “We did a training convoy with them before and they worked out a lot of the bugs on the last one.”
As the trucks wound their way through the many twists, turns, and steep angled slopes along the treacherous Terra Pass, the radio was filled with the communications between the Afghan vehicles. The ANA soldiers were proving to everyone in the convoy they could complete the mission the right way.
Some problems identified and corrected on their first convoy included maintaining convoy speed, security, and ANA convoy commanders ensuring all vehicles had enough fuel to reach their intended destination.
“There was definitely good and bad and that’s why I wanted them to do a local training convoy before they actually headed to an out-of-town destination,” said Singh.
When all of the vehicles had safely entered FOB Shank, the RLSC-SE had proven to their coalition force mentors they were ready.
“Now, the next step for them is to start running missions to the units supported by the 203rd Corps,” said Grimsley.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2012 05:59 |
| Story ID: | 85405 |
| Location: | PAKTYA PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, RLSC-SE rolls to support ANA in the fight, by SGT Jacob Marlin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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