Successful Sustainment Operations in Zabul Highlight Maturation of ANDSF

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

06.17.2015

Courtesy Story

7th Infantry Division

By Col. Royce A. Edington, TAAC-South Deputy Chief of Staff for Support

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - During recent combat operations in Zabul Province, 205th Corps logisticians demonstrated their capability to effectively support sustained operations into remote regions of the country. Throughout the operation, the 205th Corps successfully supported units without assistance from coalition forces. This not only boosted their confidence, but also made a clear statement to the insurgents on the increasing capability of the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) and their ability to project power into historical insurgent strongholds. The remarkable improvement in logistics capabilities bodes well for the future of ANDSF and clearly shows all the increasing professionalization of the force.

Throughout the operation, there were numerous positive actions taken by the logistics leaders of the 205th Corps that set the Hero Corps up for success. Well before the operation started, logistics planners were studying requirements and developing plans to support. A detailed analysis of the number of vehicles, number of kilometers driven per day, and number of Soldiers supporting the operation was conducted. This analysis provided what the estimated requirements would be. In order to meet these requirements, the following actions were initiated.

In order to maximize readiness of vehicles and equipment, a maintenance support team was sent from Camp Hero in Kandahar City to Qalat to assist the 2nd Brigade Maintenance units. The pushing of this capability closer to the fight resulted in over 50 vehicles repaired and returned to the fight against insurgents. Additionally, during the operation the logistics staff pushed a small team of mechanics as a forward repair team to the maneuver kandaks to make repairs to vehicles and equipment on the front lines – significantly increasing logistics responsiveness.

Critical supplies were also pushed to Qalat from other areas within the 205th Corps. Additional food along with a field feeding team to support the higher number of Soldiers ensured Soldiers were well-fed and morale remained high. Logistics leaders also ensured sufficient quantities of fuel and ammunition were available with great success. Repair parts for vehicles and weapons were also pushed forward that enabled successful maintenance operations, however as the operation continued on this proved to be an area where improvement can still be achieved by resupplying on a more frequent basis and integrating aerial resupply instead of being solely dependent on ground movements.

Signal and network communications were also another area of vast improvement, as ANDSF demonstrated not only the ability to establish an effective means to communicate between units and pillars, but also a will to utilize secure communications to maintain good operational security and keep the insurgents from knowing their plans. All of the systems remained operational throughout the operation and the Soldiers responsible for the systems showed a good aptitude in knowing how to set the systems up and conduct routine maintenance. As this capability continues to improve, ANDSF will gain a significant operational advantage since in previous operations the insurgents were able to intercept unsecure communications and adjust prior to the actions of ANDSF. Moving forward, ANDSF will now have the operational advantage by keeping their plans secret as they communicate between units.

Finally, medical operations continue to be very effective as they build on significant gains made over the past several months. The medical planner for 205th Corps identified all of the medical support locations and developed a comprehensive plan on how to best get casualties from point of injury to treatment. Ground and air evacuation methods were analyzed and integrated into the plan, as well as placing a trauma and surgical team from the Kandahar Regional Medical Hospital in Qalat to increase survivability rates by stabilizing patients as quickly as possible. ANDSF’s ability to effectively care for its casualties strengthens the will of Soldiers to fight, since they know competent professionals are ready to care for them if they are wounded.

The logistics achievements ANDSF demonstrated in the Zabul operations highlight their growth and development as a professional force capable of sustaining multi-week missions against the enemy. Their ability to analyze the operation, determine requirements, and allocate capabilities to ensure success were all impressive elements and showed their continued understanding of combined arms operations. As the logistics leaders and Soldiers gain more experience, their capability will continue to improve and the overall effectiveness of ANDSF will also increase. The operations in Zabul demonstrated ANDSF is maturing as a professional force and the future is very bright as they continue to take the fight to the enemy in order to bring peace to Afghanistan.

• Date Taken: 06.17.2015
• Date Posted: 06.18.2015 07:22
• Story ID: 167077
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF