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    188th Brigade Support Battalion leaders find solutions to enhance Field Artillery readiness

    188th Brigade Support Battalion leaders find solutions to enhance field artillery readiness

    Photo By Maj. Devon Thomas | A Logistics Assistance Representative (Right), assigned to the 406th Field Service...... read more read more

    FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

    02.01.2016

    Story by Capt. Devon Thomas 

    18th Field Artillery Brigade

    FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Brigade maintenance leaders from the 188th Brigade Support Battalion, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, continue to find solutions to increase unit readiness of the Steel Brigade.

    Chief Warrant Officer 3 Fatima A. Nettles, the brigade electronic missile technician, contacted the Brigade Logistical Support Team (BLST) from the 406th Army Field Support Battalion to order the most updated publications and receive training on the software for the maintenance support device (MSD), the tactical laptop designed or Army maintainers to perform their mission.

    When ordering the accurate part you save time, and this reduces down time on equipment,” Nettles said. “A Soldier won’t have to go back through the process to fix mistakes.”

    If a part is not updated correctly, a total of three days can be lost in the process,” Nettles remarked.

    To ensure effective training of the new software and increase readiness rates in the brigade maintenance supervisors and warrant officers participated in maintenance support device (MSD) training Feb. 1 at the 18th Field Artillery Brigade motor pool.

    The 188th Maintenance Control Chief, Sgt. 1st Class Mccuen L. Fox, echoed Nettles’ response.

    “For one, the training ensures we have new software. Two, it ensures parts are ordered correctly and three, equipment down time is cut, which improves unit readiness, said Fox.”

    “The MSD to a mechanic is basically our bible,” said Sgt. David A. Opsahl of the 188th BSB maintenance team, describing the importance of Army technical manuals in which Soldiers use to find faults on equipment. “If we do not know where to find the information that we need to fix a job, we will reference our TMs.”

    “Our TMs will tell us where we start at and end at,” Opsahl added.

    Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dennis E. Reid, the BLST chief for the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and a team of U.S. Army TACOM Automotive and Armament Logistical Assistance Representatives (LAR) from the 406th Army Field Support Battalion trained Soldiers on ordering and updating the technical manuals in the MSD at the request of Nettles.

    Reid said there is one team per brigade in 82nd Airborne Division. Additionally, there are LARs in the Army Field Support Battalion for the separate units on Fort Bragg that can assist with refining unit maintenance processes.

    “We are a phone call away,” said Reid. “If a unit needs particular skill set for equipment, and we do not have it at the time, we have a fall back to the 406th Army Field Support Brigade and the 406th Army Field Support Battalion.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.01.2016
    Date Posted: 02.08.2016 14:39
    Story ID: 188240
    Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US

    Web Views: 685
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN