Twitter
Facebook
Unit movement officers are critical assets for companies and battalions deploying in support of NATO and other operations, and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command helped enable such units by hosting a symposium for newly appointed UMOs as part of the ongoing command deployment discipline program Feb. 24 to 25.
The first day of the symposium consisted of classroom training, covering topics such as cargo tracking systems, installation staging areas and transportation documents.
The second day covered transportation deployment and redeployment platforms, and the UMO representatives were introduced to important points of contact at the Deployment Processing Center on Rhine Ordnance Barracks.
“With the training, I have a better understanding of the responsibilities necessary as a UMO and the importance of having the proper certifications,” said Capt. Dionne McMillian, Deputy S4, 212th Combat Support Hospital. “The training was sufficient, and leaders should take advantage of all the help they are willing to give.”
The intent of this symposium was to introduce new UMOs to the types of challenges they will face preparing their unit’s equipment for transport, according to Maj. William Prince, G4, 21st TSC who coordinated the event.
“We wanted to give them a realistic idea of their duties and responsibilities as a UMO,” Prince said. “I hope they realize they are the tip of the spear when it comes to cargo movement because all the execution perfection must be done at the unit level.”
Newly appointed UMOs will have a busy upcoming year with several large exercises, and the symposium offered not only a chance to get many of their questions answered on the spot but also allowed them to make connections with subject matter experts who will be able to continue to offer assistance, according to Larry Lorenz, a traffic manager on Ramstein. Lorenz emphasized to the attendees that if any additional help was needed, UMOs could call him and his fellow traffic managers for expert advice.
For some of the new UMOs, this was exactly what they were looking for.
“I’ve been a UMO for five months, but I’ve never done the job before,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Stevens, 515th Transportation Company. “(For) me personally, getting to meet the points of contact was important to me. Now I can put a face to the name to start building those relationships.”
