Twitter
Facebook
***image1***As the U.S. Army Europe continues to modernize its forces and operations, the 21st Theater Sustainment Command is leading the effort in modernizing logistics operations all across Europe. They are practicing in Tbilisi, Georgia, with the Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration process for Immediate Response 2008.
Soldiers from the 39th Transportation Battalion from Kaiserslautern, 14th Transportation Battalion and Movement Control teams from the 386th Movement Control Company from Vicenza, Italy, and the 489th Cargo Transfer Company from Jacksonville, Fla., broke new ground as they planned, coordinated and successfully moved personnel, equipment and containers. The first military movement of equipment came from Italy, Germany and the U.S. through eastern European rail lines and waterways into the country of Georgia.
“The 21st TSC Reception, Staging and Onward Movement Team performed flawlessly at the seaport, airport and railhead; flowing forces seamlessly to the training area on time with the momentum to set up and execute first class training with our Georgian Allies,” said Lt. Col. Robert Curran, 39th Transportation Battalion Commander.
The RSO&I consists of five deployment phases including pre-deployment activities, movement to the ports of embarkation, strategic lift, theater reception and theater onward movement.
“The RSO&I process has been in the works now for about six to nine months,” said Col. Charles Maskell, support operations officer with 21st TSC.
According to Colonel Maskell, the planning process started at the tactical level with Southern European Task Force chairing numerous interim progress review meetings. The 21st TSC was able to provide the reach-back capabilities to the strategic transportation providers and to the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command.
“The transportation (section) that is under the support operations of the 21st TSC identified all the requirements to perform this mission,” said Maj. Luis Velez, Deployment Movement Center, Support Operations, 21st TSC. “We also identified the most effective way to bring the equipment here whether it is by rail, ferry or air.”
The 21st TSC utilized several seaports of embarkation as they had to move equipment from both Europe and stateside to the country of Georgia.
RSO&I activities are not new to military forces. The movement phase is the sequencing of units to the POE and the strategic lift phase begins with the departure from the POE to arrival in theater. For each unit deploying into another theater of operations, they must execute this process every time for both the departure and return.
For this exercise, the 21st TSC was responsible for coordinating the movement of more than 170 pieces of equipment from locations around Europe and the United States and receiving them into Georgia.
The 21st TSC has deployed units to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
The reception phase is the arrival of forces at the ports of debarkation – seaports and airports.
***image2***
“All movements were synchronized,” Major Velez said. “The plan consisted of using three rails to conduct the movement into the Vaziani Rail station.”
The use of multiple commercial carriers plays a critical part in the RSO&I process and coordinating for all these carriers in several countries is no easy task.
Coordination did not stop there. 21st TSC also coordinated support from the Georgian Ministry of Defense to assist with this operation.
“The Georgian Army provided on-site medical support at both the Port of Poti and the Vaziani Rail station. They also provided outstanding force protection while our Soldiers unloaded the railcars,” Major Velez said.
“The Georgians have been great teammates from the beginning and throughout the planning conferences,” Colonel Maskell said.
Fourteen Soldiers from the 489th CTC and six Soldiers from the 386th MCT were working hard on the ground. They tracked, managed and received the equipment into the Port of Poti and then moved on to the Vaziani Training Area.
