By Abigail Meyer Fort Bliss Bugle Editor No matter the branch of service, warfighters need gear. In an effort to become more efficient and standardize equip- ment, the Air Force has consolidated all equipment security forces Airmen may need downrange by making changes at the Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center here. The center is where Air Force security forces come for deployment training, and it has a two-fold mission – train the warfighter and equip the warfighter. The Air Force has greatly streamlined the second part of that mission. The Air Force used to store equipment security forces Air- men needed for deployment at various air bases. Individual unit deployment managers were responsible for keeping track of the equipment. Now, Airmen and civilians assigned to the Desert Defender RTC Logistics Detail do. “The biggest impact that you see right now across the Air Force, was over 1,100 hours in man hours a month that in- dividual units would spend inventorying, maintaining and reporting. That’s been cut,” said Master Sgt. Brent Helman, noncommissioned officer in charge, LOGDET, Desert De- fender RTC. “That’s 1,100 hours a month we save the Air Force because we do it instead of those individual units. Now those units can concentrate more on their core missions.” The unit preps, packs and does paperwork for all kinds of gear for SF Airmen deployed downrange. The gear var- ies from lanterns to MRZRs (lightweight tactical all-terrain vehicles) to mobile observation towers. “We solely hand out security forces support equipment to set up a bare base … if they need an entry control point kit, this is where they are,” Helman said. “We have confrontation management (riot control gear), tactical automated security systems (TASS), different generators, things like that.” Just seven Airmen, all career security forces Airmen ex- cept one, and three civilians, inventory, order and track the gear. “One day we’re stocking and taking inventory, doing sup- ply specialist stuff, the next we’re prepping stuff to go on an aircraft and that’s more of an aerial porter job. To put these towers on a plane we have to build wooden ramps and that’s a civil engineer job, so we wear five or six different job hats,” Helman said. The consolidation started back in 2007, when the Air Force looked to gain efficiencies in operations. “In the 2006-2007 timeframe we figured out that we as a career field were over 200 percent posture when it came to equipment so it’s a lot of wasted money and manpower and a lot of wasted shelf space,” Helman said. “The actual con- solidation happened in 2014, a small team here started going around to 50 different CONUS units and going through their equipment based off a list, figuring out what is serviceable, what isn’t and started the process of shipping it here.” The LOGDET is about 90 percent done stocking and plans to be fully operational Oct. 1. The equipment is housed in a few warehouses here. The location is ideal, due to Fort Bliss’ access to transportation. They can railhead gear or use Biggs Army Airfield, which is capable of shipping large pieces. Efficiency and standardization are key to the LOGDET mission. “One of the biggest selling points when it came to consoli- dation, was saving a little over $4 million annually,” Helman said. “Now a caveat to that is we’re buying new. A lot of the equipment we received is antiquated or non-standardized, but in the long run we’re going to be saving the Air Force money.” As an example, Helman said, different units were using 10 different types of generators. Now, they’ll aim to standardize that, and provide gear that’s flexible for different theaters. “We never know what our enemy’s going to be in the future, so we try to throw it all into one- will this work in different areas of the world,” said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hammack, assigned to the LOGDET. “When we’re buying products we want to make sure it can be used at low altitude, high altitude, high temperatures, low temperatures, stuff like that.” While there are just a few Airmen and civilians tackling this large mission, figuring it out as they go, Hammack said it’s a welcome challenge. “It’s a good feeling, knowing that our job here affects so many lives downrange and where our career field goes in the future,” Hammack said. The LOGDET already occasionally sends out orders as needs arise. They’ve shipped off a few Raven unmanned aer- ial systems and are preparing to send out mobile observation towers. Helman said while they don’t have two-day shipping, they try to get equipment to warfighters downrange as soon as possible. Desert Defenders LOGDET equips warfighters Abigail Meyer / Fort Bliss Bugle Editor Staff Sgt. Dale Wilson, assigned to the Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center, moves a MZRZ lightweight tactical all-terrain vehicle at the Desert Defenders Logistics De- tail site here Feb. 24 10A • March 9, 2017 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
Transcript
By Abigail MeyerFort Bliss Bugle Editor
No matter the branch of service, warfi ghters need gear. In an effort to become more effi cient and standardize equip-ment, the Air Force has consolidated all equipment security forces Airmen may need downrange by making changes at the Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center here.
The center is where Air Force security forces come for deployment training, and it has a two-fold mission – train the warfi ghter and equip the warfi ghter. The Air Force has greatly streamlined the second part of that mission.
The Air Force used to store equipment security forces Air-men needed for deployment at various air bases. Individual unit deployment managers were responsible for keeping track of the equipment. Now, Airmen and civilians assigned to the Desert Defender RTC Logistics Detail do.
“The biggest impact that you see right now across the Air Force, was over 1,100 hours in man hours a month that in-dividual units would spend inventorying, maintaining and reporting. That’s been cut,” said Master Sgt. Brent Helman, noncommissioned offi cer in charge, LOGDET, Desert De-fender RTC. “That’s 1,100 hours a month we save the Air Force because we do it instead of those individual units. Now those units can concentrate more on their core missions.”
The unit preps, packs and does paperwork for all kinds of gear for SF Airmen deployed downrange. The gear var-ies from lanterns to MRZRs (lightweight tactical all-terrain vehicles) to mobile observation towers.
“We solely hand out security forces support equipment to set up a bare base … if they need an entry control point kit, this is where they are,” Helman said. “We have confrontation management (riot control gear), tactical automated security systems (TASS), different generators, things like that.”
Just seven Airmen, all career security forces Airmen ex-cept one, and three civilians, inventory, order and track the
gear. “One day we’re stocking and taking inventory, doing sup-
ply specialist stuff, the next we’re prepping stuff to go on an aircraft and that’s more of an aerial porter job. To put these towers on a plane we have to build wooden ramps and that’s a civil engineer job, so we wear fi ve or six different job hats,” Helman said.
The consolidation started back in 2007, when the Air Force looked to gain effi ciencies in operations.
“In the 2006-2007 timeframe we fi gured out that we as a career fi eld were over 200 percent posture when it came to equipment so it’s a lot of wasted money and manpower and a lot of wasted shelf space,” Helman said. “The actual con-solidation happened in 2014, a small team here started going around to 50 different CONUS units and going through their equipment based off a list, fi guring out what is serviceable, what isn’t and started the process of shipping it here.”
The LOGDET is about 90 percent done stocking and plans to be fully operational Oct. 1.
The equipment is housed in a few warehouses here. The location is ideal, due to Fort Bliss’ access to transportation. They can railhead gear or use Biggs Army Airfi eld, which is capable of shipping large pieces.
Effi ciency and standardization are key to the LOGDET mission.
“One of the biggest selling points when it came to consoli-dation, was saving a little over $4 million annually,” Helman said. “Now a caveat to that is we’re buying new. A lot of the equipment we received is antiquated or non-standardized, but in the long run we’re going to be saving the Air Force money.”
As an example, Helman said, different units were using 10 different types of generators. Now, they’ll aim to standardize that, and provide gear that’s fl exible for different theaters.
“We never know what our enemy’s going to be in the future, so we try to throw it all into one- will this work in
different areas of the world,” said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hammack, assigned to the LOGDET. “When we’re buying products we want to make sure it can be used at low altitude, high altitude, high temperatures, low temperatures, stuff like that.”
While there are just a few Airmen and civilians tackling this large mission, fi guring it out as they go, Hammack said it’s a welcome challenge.
“It’s a good feeling, knowing that our job here affects so many lives downrange and where our career fi eld goes in the future,” Hammack said.
The LOGDET already occasionally sends out orders as needs arise. They’ve shipped off a few Raven unmanned aer-ial systems and are preparing to send out mobile observation towers. Helman said while they don’t have two-day shipping, they try to get equipment to warfi ghters downrange as soon as possible.
Desert Defenders LOGDET equips warfi ghters
Abigail Meyer / Fort Bliss Bugle EditorStaff Sgt. Dale Wilson, assigned to the Desert Defender Ground Combat Readiness Training Center, moves a MZRZ lightweight tactical all-terrain vehicle at the Desert Defenders Logistics De-tail site here Feb. 24
10A • March 9, 2017 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
FORT BLISS BUGLE • March 9, 2017 • 11A
By Capt. Jonathon A. Daniell35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – The 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and 51st Fighter Wing hosted a joint noncom-missioned offi cer induction ceremony Feb. 16 at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
Command Sgt. Maj. Rick Merritt, com-mand sergeant major, Eighth Army, served as the guest speaker and shared personal
stories and leadership tips for the group of proud NCOs.
Merritt painted a vignette of himself as a junior Soldier, meticulously preparing his combat helmet over a weekend for a Mon-day morning inspection. Submitting to the audience that if his leadership didn’t inspect his helmet, he would’ve been disappointed. He acknowledged he took a great deal of pride and satisfaction in his preparing his equipment.
“Expect what you inspect,” Merritt said, and it is a duty he charged each NCO to up-hold. A mission of holding Soldiers and Air-men accountable.
The ceremony recognized 35 Soldiers, 19 Airmen and 15 Korean augmentees to the U.S. Army. Each one passed through the NCO arch, signifying their entry into the storied noncommissioned offi cer corps.
Service members packed the enlisted club to support their fellow Soldiers, Airmen and KATUSAs. It didn’t take long for the audito-rium to reach standing room only, and groups of onlookers stood three to four waves deep beyond the railing that lines the tiered fl oor.
For some in the group, the event was extra special.
“Being inducted means I truly am a ser-geant now,” said Sgt. Min Gyu Choi, as-signed to the 6th Bn., 52nd ADA Regt., 35th ADA Bde. “By going through that gate, I was offi cially recognized as a leader, and I learned I have higher standards to live up to.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Eric McCray, com-mand sergeant major, 35th ADA Bde., came up with the idea for the ceremony.
Upon assuming his duty as the senior en-listed advisor to the Dragon Brigade, host-ing an NCO induction ceremony was some-thing McCray wanted to do for the Soldiers. However, the high operational tempo of the brigade made white space sparse, said Sgt. Maj. Gene Harding, assigned to the 35th ADA Bde.
According to Harding, senior NCO in charge of the ceremony, they picked a date on the calendar, and after multiple discus-sions with McCray, it went from an Army centric event to a joint ceremony.
While there is no set date for the next cer-emony, the success and positive feedback suggests there will be more in the future.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about recog-nizing the Soldiers, Airmen and KATUSAs,” Harding said. “That’s what we did today, we recognized.
Through the NCO arches pass these leaders
(Top left) Command Sgt. Maj. Rick Merritt, sec-ond from right, command sergeant major, Eighth Army, receives a token of appreciation from Command Sgt. Maj. Eric McCray, 35th Air De-fense Artillery Brigade, right, Chief Master Sgt. Alexander Del Valle, 51st Fighter Wing, left, and Republic of Korea Sgt. Maj. Byung-Joon Moon, far left, assigned to the 6th Bn., 52nd ADA Regt., 35th ADA Bde., for serving as the guest speaker during the joint NCO induction ceremony Feb. 16 at Osan Air Base.
(Left) Soldiers, Korean augmentees to the U.S. Army and Airmen assigned to 35th ADA Bde. and the 51st Fighter Wing, respectively, stand during a joint noncommissioned offi cer cer-emony Feb. 16 at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
• 14G – 4 years as 14G. Alternate experience 14H, 14J or 140A• 14H – 4 years as 14H. Alternate experience 14J or 140A• 14S/P - 4 years as 14S/P• 14T – 6 years as 14T• 140A – 4 years as 140A• 140E – 6 years as 140E• 14A – 4 years as 14A
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By Staff Sgt. Johnathan Hoover11th ADA, 32nd AAMDC Public Affairs
The 11th “Imperial” Air Defense Artillery Brigade is the largest, most deployed air de-fense unit in the Army, and that means each unit within the brigade needs to be ready at any time.
The Soldiers of Battery A, “Archangels,” 5th Battalion, 52nd Artillery Air Defense Ar-tillery, 11th “Imperial” Artillery Air Defense Brigade, continued to train for any mission the Army may ask by completing air and railhead loading training March 3.
“If we ever needed to deploy and move our equipment to another location, then all Soldiers need to know how to get the vehi-cles on the rail cars and secure them properly as well as in a plane,” said Sgt. Jeffrey Lee, a launcher platoon sergeant assigned to the Archangels.
Over time in the military, personnel often make changes or updates to make tasks run more effi ciently for Soldiers.
“I did this training back in 2013,” Lee said. “I learned a lot. There are things they have added to the training I received back in 2013, and if we ever need to move anything by rail car or plane ... we are ready to go.”
The training provided a refresher for those who participated.
“It was great, I’ve done it before and it was a great refresher,” said Pfc. Jonathan Silva, also assigned to the Archangels. “I forgot a couple things, things changed here and there. It was an overall great experience.”
Although the Soldiers were training on the subject at hand, the importance of the train-ing defi nitely was not lost on the Soldiers.
“To me it’s important because it’s our equipment; it’s what we need to get our job done. If we can’t manage to secure it down, where does that leave us? It leaves us in a bad situation,” Silva said.
Lee said it’s important the unit is always mission ready in case they get the call to de-ploy.
“I think this training helps us on mission readiness, making sure our Soldiers are al-ways ready and prepared to execute any mis-
sion given to us,” Lee said.It’s important we are always mission ready
or in case we get the call to deploy anywhere overseas, Lee said.
Readiness in each unit is important but as a family, the unit is prepared to assist where needed for other units to get ready.
“We learned how to fasten down vehicles to a train platform for transportation. (We learned it in case) we ever have to move equipment for not only ourselves, but other batteries,” Silva said.
“I feel like I can go out there and show more people on how to do it,” Silva said. “If we can secure our equipment, get it there safely … I know I did a great job and the Soldiers at the next location can get the job accomplished.”
The ‘Archangels’ of the 11th ADA Bde. are ‘always ready, ready to go’
Staff Sgt. Johnathan Hoover / 11th ADA PAO, 32nd AAMDCSoldiers assigned to Battery A, “Archangels,” 5th Battalion, 52nd Artillery Air Defense Artillery, 11th “Imperial” Artillery Air Defense Brigade, learn how to secure a vehicle onto a rail car during training on railhead operations here March 3.
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