Logistics partners demonstrate request process

7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Sgt. Matthew Thompson

Date: 04.16.2012
Posted: 04.22.2012 05:33
News ID: 87138

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Logistic operations mentors with the Flood Tactical Action Center at Forward Operating Base Gamberi provided their Afghan National Army counterparts a demonstration of the ordering and distribution process, April 16.

“The intent was to demonstrate the supply request and distribution between the forward support depot and the Combat Service Support Kandak,” said U.S. Army Capt. Ken Wilkerson, the mentor for the Regional Logistic Supply Command-East.

The demonstration involved the logistics mentors for the CSSK, the ANA 201st Corps Logistics section, Forward Support Depot and RLSC-E.

“It planted a seed that instigates them to interact with their mentor to say, ‘how can I make my part of that process work like that?’” Wilkerson said.

Each mentor described their portion of the process.

Although the ANA 201st Corps has been running delivery, transportation and maintenance missions for years, they haven’t always done it correctly, according to Wilkerson.

“I want my officers to be trained in correct procedures to do their job and meet our mission,” said Afghan National Army Col. Roshanghar, the RLSC-E commander. “If you could show me how to do it, it will be easier to retain it.”

For Wilkerson and the other logistic mentors, that was the focus of their training.

“They know how the system works however due to lack of enforcement whether it may be by command or mentors, hasn’t quite gone the way it should be by following the [Ministry of Defense] decrees,” Wilkerson said. “The decree says this and for the sake of efficiency and best business practices we’re going to go do that.”

The major challenge the mentors faced was making sure what was taught was in line with the way the Ministry of Defense decree spells out the process.

“We had to make sure we weren’t telling them something that would make them fail or get them in trouble,” Wilkerson said. “I’m confident that we told them the right thing.”

The system the ANA currently use allows for various options that cut corners and on occasion fail to record and track supplies, according to Wilkerson.

“I think they benefited by seeing the system, if used the way the demonstration went, can work,” Wilkerson said. “There are more advantages to using the system we used than using the system that they use now.”

“We have improvisation built into the system, but it’s a third, fourth or fifth option,” Wilkerson said.

Future training will touch on the rest of the decrees that the Ministry of Defense has published regarding logistics.