Photo By Sgt. Erica Earl | U.S. military policy escort Soldiers from movement control teams May 30, 2019, from...... read more read more
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KOPER, Slovenia—The staging area at the Port of Koper, Sloveia, was abuzz as members of various movement control teams shuffled shipping containers and military vehicles in preparation to transport several hundred pieces of equipment.
A half-mile trail of fork lifts and vehicles traveled to and from the port and staging area, going through customs and inspections, fuel points and an overlook by maintenance crews.
U.S. Soldiers from active, guard and reserve units worked alongside Slovenian military personnel May 30, 2019 to prepare convoys to travel with equipment for several summer exercises taking place across the European theater.
The equipment, approximately 370 pieces total, arrived from America May 29 on the ARC Endurance, a vehicle carrier vessel, and will be driven to locations in Slovenia, Hungary and the Republic of Croatia. This stage, called setting the theater, allows the U.S. to prepare logistically for the bilateral exercises designed to improve response time and interoperability with our allies.
“The amount of equipment and effort that goes into moving this size of a force into theater demonstrates that we are willing and able to support not only our interests but the interests of our allies,” said Capt. Lawrence Coles, commander of the 793rd Movement Control Team out of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Coles said his team is one piece of the exercises, but it is an important one, getting the right material set into place at the right time to execute the bigger picture.
The primary role of a movement control team is to coordinate the transportation of equipment and keep accountability of the assets at all times. Teams worked all through the night to get the equipment to its destinations. Movement control teams track the vehicles and equipment until they reach their final destinations and are handed over for the missions at that location. The teams then do it again in reverse when the exercises are complete and it is time for the equipment to return to its place of origin.
Sgt. Morgan Johnson of the 793rd MCT said working with other Army components and Slovenian counterparts has been a valuable learning opportunity. Having a job with several moving pieces, Johnson said he embraces opportunities to share tactics for getting the job done swiftly, efficiently and with flexibility.
“For us, any chance we get to work with our European counterparts is a gift,” Johnson said. “For both parties, I like to think, but especially for us.”
Col. Franz Kalic, commander of the Logistics Brigade for the Slovenian Armed Forces, said his brigade is providing support to allies arriving in, and transporting through, Slovenia.
Kalic said sending equipment off to several countries for a series of summer exercises is challenging as it is the first time his whole brigade has been involved in such a large scale operation.
“If not done properly at the start, it will affect all other movements and missions that follow,” Kalic said.
Coles said the opportunity to integrate with the Slovenian forces has demonstrated the significance of working in sync to accomplish a mission. “Seeing the processes they have and how it lines up with the processes we do allows us to move as one force,” Coles said. “Instead of being just the U.S. Army and the Slovenian Army, it is one mobile force and it’s been phenomenal.”
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2019 17:59 |
| Story ID: | 324641 |
| Location: | KOPER, SI |
| Hometown: | FREDERICKSBURG, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, U.S. and Slovenian forces join for movement operations, by SGT Erica Earl, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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