By Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Hoosline
536th Maintenance Company
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Precision is the mission for the eight Soldiers of the 536th Maintenance Company's, 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment Section, or TMDE section, who provide calibration and repair support for deployed units operating within the Multi-National Corps - Iraq area of responsibility. Located at Camp Taji, Iraq, the TMDE section plays a pivotal role in the maintenance operations of over one hundred supported units.
TMDE is any tool or electronic system that is used to make a measurement of some kind. Every facet of military maintenance uses some form of TMDE, from torque wrenches and multi-meters, to spectrum analyzers and signal generators. Accuracy of these measurements is vital for effective maintenance, and that is where the 536th Maint. Co., TMDE section comes in.
The 536th Maint. Co., TMDE section provides calibration and repair support for all types of test equipment belonging to the Army as well as other branches of service. "Supporting one of the largest TMDE missions in Iraq is no small feat," said Sgt. 1st Class Corey Barnes, team chief for the TMDE section and Milwaukee native. "These Soldiers work long, arduous hours to accomplish this mission and get the job done well." Since their arrival, the TMDE section has completed 4,359 calibration and repair jobs.
TMDE calibration and repair support plays an especially critical role for aviation units, who require the use of TMDE items for nearly every aspect of aircraft maintenance. Maintenance performed with uncalibrated equipment may be met with catastrophic results. If properly calibrated equipment is not available, aircraft could be grounded unnecessarily for maintenance, resulting in less air support resources available to help sustain combat operations on the ground. The TMDE section has provided support for nearly 20 separate aviation units since their arrival.
In addition to the nearly 20 aviation units requiring support, the TMDE section supports the coalition air force transition team, or CAFTT, at Camp Taji, a unit that plays an important role in support of the developing Iraqi air force. The TMDE section has adapted existing capabilities to allow for on-site calibration or repair of equipment that would otherwise have to be shipped to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar for support and has greatly improved the availability of precision test equipment, fundamental for the maintenance of Iraqi rotary wing aircraft
If readiness is the mark of an effective unit, the TMDE is a shining star. One of the goals of the 536th Maintenance Company, TMDE Section is to maintain a TMDE readiness rate of 95 percent or greater. "The expedient return of customer's equipment is essential to our customers readiness" says Staff Sgt, Lan Dickinson, the shop foreman for the 536th Maintenance Company's TMDE section and Birmingham, Ala. native, whose Soldiers have been able to maintain a turn-around time of less than ten days for most equipment resulting in an average TMDE readiness rate of 98.6 percent for supported units.
The 536th Maintenance Company, 524th Combat Service Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command is based out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and has been deployed in support of combat operations in Iraq since November 2007.