Re: [MV] Common Sense (Was: Army's Next Truck)

From: JOHN SEIDTS (john@astory.com)
Date: Thu Mar 16 2000 - 12:11:18 PST


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Responses below beneath appropriate text...

>I could go on, but I think that you get the idea. None of this equipment
was
>well maintained. We got called out for a flood a few years ago. The State
>Guard Bureau had to call in every mechanic that they could get their hands
>on. They kept the shops going 24 hours a day to get the equipment
>operational, and keep it running. Then it took them 6 months afterward to
>get it all back into useable condition again.

There have been proposals that the support staff of National Guard Divisions
be mostly full time, with very few line troops occupying AGR positions, for
just this reason- keeping equipment in a readier state than is usually the
case with Guard and Reserve units.

 Should he have been issued all of this
>equipment, just because his MTOE called for it? I would have to say no.
>(Although, when you think about it, this would be a great source for very
>low mileage used MV's)

No, he shouldn't. But at the same time, should he be commanding a unit
without members?

>I would propose that a unit be issued the amount of
>equipment, based on it's MTOE, that it would need to train and maintain in
a
>manner that allows it to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency. The
rest
>of the equipment would be packed and prepped for shipment. If a unit got
>called up, it could respond a whole lot quicker if it didn't have to spend
a
>lot of time bringing its equipment up to operational standards and then
>preparing it for movement.

Well, this has eventually emerged from all peace time armies as the norm of
doing things. The problem is that a unit should train how it fights, and
will then fight how it is trained. If you don't train with all the dinguses
used when in combat, and get them the day you hit the beach, they become a
detriment as soon as they are issued. The army learned this hard during
combat in North Africa, and then ordered the units to train with all their
equipment during the buildup before D-Day. While this is a solution even
numerous professional soldiers arrive at, it is not the best one in my
opinion, with many historical examples to prove it.

. I'm simply saying that the theory of
>fully equipping a Reserve or Guard unit with everything on its MTOE is just
>that...a theory. The times that I have seen it put into practice, it
becomes
>a nightmare. The system is simply not geared to provide the level of
>storage, shelter, support, or logistics that a typically under-staffed
>Reserve unit would need to have available in order to maintain all of its
>authorized equipment.

It's also just a theory that soldiers who train on the weekend can be combat
ready in 6 months. Not to denigrate service in the Guard or Reserve, but
most of the members could stand more training in day to day operations of
the army, like being put on 6 month tours every 4 to 5 years of service with
an active unit similar to their own reserve unit.



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