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The Rail Operations Center at Fort Hood, operated by the 407th Army Field Support Brigade, is responsible for supporting the loading and unloading of equipment and the movement of railcars to domestic and international locations. The center also assists in determining tie-down requirements, transportation needs for military equipment and offers rail tie-down training for all units on Fort Hood.
According to Charlie “T” Williams, a representative of the ROC, the center supports all units on and off Fort Hood, including active duty, reserve, National Guard and contractors. During a typical year, the ROC moves on average more than 250 trains, 9,000 railcars and 19,000 pieces of equipment in and out of the installation.
“If they are moving by rail in and/or out of the installation, we are here for their support and guidance,” Williams said. “We assist the units by conducting meetings that entail the scope of their deployment and/or deployment timeline.”
Preparing for deployment involves a lot of work, especially for units stationed at Fort Hood who need to transport their equipment across the country or even to ports on the other side of the world. Williams said units should start preparing as soon as they can.
“Units should start prepping for deployment six months out,” Williams explained. “We provide guidance, training and support for the successful loading, tie-down and shipment of all necessary and required equipment for the unit to have a successful deployment.”
At the ROC, safety is the top priority for everyone involved in rail operations, including Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and visitors. Staff stresses that ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment is crucial to the success of any rail operation.
“Our main priority is safety first,” Williams said. “We ensure that all Soldiers have the proper uniform - ACH, eye pro, gloves, PT belt and water source - to operate in the railhead. They need to be licensed on the vehicle or vehicle/trailer they will be driving and know how to properly tie down their equipment on rail cars.”
Col. Chad R. Foster, U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Hood commander, stated that the installation’s mission is to provide the United States with an armored corps. Foster emphasized the significance of ground transportation capability, particularly through rail assets, in achieving this mission.
“Being able to move our heavy equipment and firepower quickly to various locations throughout the U.S. for training and to ports for follow-on deployment overseas is essential for us and for the Army,” Foster said. “Our highly capable rail deployment facilities make all this possible. There is a good reason why our installation is one of our Army’s premier projection platforms.”
Foster continued by saying the planning, loading and deployment of the armored combat power of the III Armored Corps is a challenging task, but the professionals at the rail facility at Fort Hood make it seem almost effortless.
“The best facilities in the world are worthless if you don’t have good people making things happen on the ground,” Foster added. “Luckily for our nation, we have both here at the Great Place.”
| Date Taken: | 03.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.27.2023 17:01 |
| Story ID: | 460894 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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