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The transportation section of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, G4, coordinated and hosted a Unit Movement Symposium at various locations within the Kaiserslautern area Sept. 14 through 17. The training served as a refresher course offered to all U.S. Army Europe Unit Movement Officers. Thirty-one participants from a variety of USAREUR units attended.
The four-day symposium included classroom presentations on the Joint Operation Planning and Execution System, air-load planning and the Integrated Computerized Deployment System.
Participants had the opportunity to visit the Joint Mobility Processing Center, also known as the Purple Ramp, on Ramstein. They were greeted by Larry Lorenz, a traffic manager with the 16th Sustainment Brigade. Lorenz stressed the importance of following standard mandatory procedures prior to transporting any equipment and supplies to this area.
The purpose of visiting the Purple Ramp, according to Lorenz, was to familiarize the Army participants with specific Air Force requirements.
“We are here to familiarize the Army with the needs of the Air Force,” Lorenz said. “In order for the Army to utilize (this facility) we need to provide quality products (that can) just be loaded and ready to go.”
Lorenz explained that proper cargo preparation includes blocking, bracing, packing, crating and tying down of all equipment, including vehicles and tanks.
“You must do the work,” Lorenz said. “To deploy, don’t bring everything you think you need — bring everything you know you need.”
The training also included a tour of the Ramstein Passenger Terminal.
“This is the Department of Defense’s premier air passenger facility,” said Franz Lang, Ramstein Passenger Terminal assistant passenger terminal officer in charge. “It is also the official point for all of the military crossing into the European Union.”
First Lt. Christian Estrada, movement officer, 16th SB, Vincenza, Italy, and a participant in the symposium, understood the importance of this particular training.
“All of this information is very important to know, either for yourself or if you are transporting troops,” Estrada said. “The most important thing to keep in mind is safety for everyone.”
The goal of the program is for all UMOs within Europe to have a refined sense of their responsibilities, according to Maj. William Prince, operations officer, G4, 21st TSC.
“In particular, this includes knowing how to contact the key movement coordinators, the time table of how the movement process works and, certainly, an understanding of what the Army needs to know in order to comply with the standards of the Air Force to have successful movement out of Ramstein,” Prince said.
