Exercise affirms Army’s ability to maintain operational readiness of medical assets on Korean Peninsula

Photo By C.J. Lovelace | A Soldier with the 563rd Medical Logistics Company loads a tactical combat medical care resupply set in support of U.S. Forces Korea during an exercise March 19 at the Army’s prepositioned stock site in South Korea. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anthony Peterson)  

SOUTH KOREA

03.30.2021

Story by C.J. Lovelace 

U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command

CAMP CARROLL, South Korea -- During a transition to hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Korea would take charge of the Army’s forward-positioned medical stocks in support of Eighth Army units.

Soldiers from the 563rd Medical Logistics Company, a direct reporting unit to USAMMC-K, simulated the absorption process during an exercise in March.

Maj. William Wiltbank, deputy commanding officer for USAMMC-K, said the first-time exercise went well and allowed the Soldiers to drill what would be “the single most important task” for USAMMC-K as the theater lead agent for medical materiel, or TLAMM, during a transition to hostilities.

“This exercise simulated the feasibility of transitioning the stocks, both virtually and physically, from one activity to another,” Wiltbank said. “It also provided an understanding of the personnel requirements needed to execute and manage the mission.”

As part of a larger, twice-yearly Combined Command Post Training, or CCPT, the multi-day drill called for USAMMC-K Soldiers to train alongside staff from the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency, which manages medical stocks at the Army Prepositioned Stocks site, known as APS-4, during armistice.

Wiltbank said an eight-Soldier team from USAMMC-K relocated to the APS-4 site and integrated into operations to assume control over medical materiel stocks within 48 hours. In a real-life scenario, the USAMMC-K team is responsible for organizing all contingency stocks into preconfigured sets that can be readied for issue throughout the theater.

“Since the TLAMM’s armistice stocks are consumption based rather than operationally driven, the APS-4 sustainment stocks are vital in bridging the gap during a large-scale combat operation,” Wiltbank said.

The USAMMC-K team exercised the requisition flow from reception to distribution, processing over 40 tons of materiel and establishing assemblages to support Eighth Army units. During the drill, combatant commanders communicated requirements based on simulated casualty rates.

Matthew Shaw, forward site manager for APS-4 Korea, said the coordination between USAMMC-K Soldiers and USAMMA staff was positive throughout the exercise, which ran March 15-19.

“This training gave the USAMMC-K Soldiers an opportunity to see how the site maintains Class VIII stock and how the APS site would deploy sets utilizing the materiel release orders generated in the event of conditions changing,” Shaw said.

Wiltbank said the exercise helped Soldiers get a better understanding of the “true requirements” in a transition to hostilities situation. He said the drill is expected to be a twice-annual event in conjunction with future CCPTs.

“USAMMC-K is now confident that we would be able to execute the sustainment stock absorption when called to do so,” Wiltbank said.

USAMMC-K Commander Lt. Col. Marcus D. Perkins said the exercise was a prime example how USAMMA and USAMMC-K, both direct reporting units to Army Medical Logistics Command, work together to drive effects to the warfighter.

“A part of USAMMC-K’s ability to maintain readiness is to continuously train the 563rd MEDLOG Company, which enables an extension of the operational reach for commanders across the peninsula,” Perkins said. “We place resources and training behind our efforts to ensure we are able to operationalize across the full range of military operations to accomplish our objectives.”

• Date Taken: 03.30.2021
• Date Posted: 03.30.2021 09:21
• Story ID: 392573
• Location: KR