Photo By Laurie Pearson | U.S. Army Col. James Oman (ret.) and director of the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Defense...... read more read more
Fellows and staff from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Defense Acquisition University, Senior service College Fellowship Program, Maryland, toured several aspects of daily functions aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., Jan. 17.
The purpose of the annual tour is to provide current year’s fellows an opportunity to gain exposure to he daily operations conducted aboard the base. The fellows are enrolled in the program and are each future strategic leaders within the Department of Defense and Department of the Army Acquisition Workforce.
"We greatly appreciated the opportunity to tour the facilities, gain an understanding of the capabilities of the base tenants and learn a bit of the rich history of the MCLB Barstow," said Bill Wiesner, member of the class of 2019, APG SSCF Program.
They were first greeted by Col. Craig C. Clemans, base commanding officer, and his staff. He, and Karen Grey, base strategic planning officer, gave the group a thorough brief on base functional areas and the overall view of base history and impact within the Marine Corps, as well as the High Desert communities.
The tour included visits to the pistol and rifle ranges, where Marty Mills, range control officer gave them an overview of range operations and future planning. The ranges are used by various military and civilian organizations to practice and hone their skills. In addition, they’re building additional facilities to expand their capabilities.
“One of the things we are looking into is certifications for explosives training,” Mills said. “This would allow those who work in the explosives fields to be able to come here to engage in some additional training opportunities.”
From the range, the group went to Fleet Support Division on the Yermo Annex. Staff Sgt. Steven Wright introduced them to the overall functions of FSD, within Logistics Command.
“Our primary function is to preserve and store the military equipment coming back from theater,” Wright said. “If it needs extensive repairs and rebuilding then it goes on to Production Plant Barstow.
Once we get our hands on it, we ensure that all of the equipment is preserved and held ready for use by Marines in the field.”
The group checked in at Railway Operations where Chad Hildebrandt, railway operations supervisor, discussed the importance of railway usage for all branches of the military.
“Using railcars to transport military equipment saves the government millions of dollars in transportation fees every year,” he said. “It takes a bit more planning time, but the cost savings is remarkable. It’s important for future leaders such as yourselves to understand the functionality and usefulness of rail in transporting equipment by comparison to other methods such as air and sea.”
After a brief lunch, the next stop on their tour was Production Plant Barstow, Marine Depot Maintenance Command. Robert “Chip” Schwartz, plant manager, conducted a two hour, in-depth, walking tour of the 10-acre plant, explaining the detailed working operations of the facility.
“Some of the artisans come to us with education and training, but many come on board and learn hands-on how to perform excellent work,” Schwartz said. “We are one of the largest employers in the Barstow area, and we are currently exploring a working relationship Barstow Community College’s Career and Technical Education Program, to develop programs that would really benefit both the students and the specific needs of our plant.”
The tour finished with a more relaxing stroll through the barn and stables used by the Marine Corps’ last remaining Mounted Color Guard, stablemen and horses. Currently, there are seven Marines and 12 horses dedicated to the program. The riders come from all career fields in the Marine Corps now, usually with little to no horse riding experience. They train in everything from basic grooming, to riding, as well as proper bonding with the horses. The MCG receives dozens of requests to participate in parades and rodeos around the country, to include the Houston Livestock show, Cody Wyoming’s annual rodeo, Tournament of Roses Parade and more.
"It was a very successful day touring the USMC Logistics Base Barstow. The DAU SSCF Class of 2019 was very impressed by the magnitude of storage space, distribution, and maintenance depot capabilities,” said Jerry Wilson, Seminar Chairman, Class of 2019, APG SSCF Program. “It was a great opportunity to hear from all the talented people that work at the facility daily and to see the results of their commitment to supporting our Warfighters."
The fellows asked detailed and specific questions along the tour, pressing for more information to fine tune their understanding of operations. In the end, they came out of the tour with a deeper understanding of the base capabilities and look forward to building and fostering those working relationships.
“It was a privilege to have the Senior Service College Fellowship cohort from the Defense Acquisition University on deck,” said Col. Clemans. “As a logistics base, we are on the receiving end of the Acquisition Programs and Projects. Helping the cohort understand how the base functions in support of Logistics Command whose mission it is to ‘fix, store, and issue’ I believe proved very valuable to them and gave us yet another opportunity to showcase the professionalism in all that occurs aboard MCLB.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2019 18:22 |
| Story ID: | 308164 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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