Army Prepositioned Stock (APS-3)
The Army Prepositioning Afloat (APA) / Combat Prepositioning Force [CPF] Combat Prepositioning [PREPO] afloat is made up of ships from the Afloat Pre-positioning Force (APF) of the Military Sealift Command (MSC). The flexibility inherent in the APF makes this force a key element in joint operation planning; the APF is capable of supporting the plans for the entire range of military operations. Pre-positioned cargoes aboard APF shipping include the capability to provide humanitarian assistance with food rations, medical supplies, habitability sets (i.e., tents), potable water-making machinery, engineer support equipment, and motor transport. To enable the early delivery of combat power to a theater of operations, additional equipment such as tanks and artillery are pre-positioned. Elements of the APF may be temporarily moved to take up position close to a potential employment area, either to signal national resolve during an evolving crisis or enhance the timely delivery of supplies and equipment upon the decision to deploy a decisive force.
Army Prepositioned Stock 3 (APS-3) contains two brigades-worth of materiel eventually that are stored aboard 16 ships. The initial 2x2 brigade set consists of two armor battalions and two mechanized infantry battalions. As of June 2001, APS-3 consisted of 10 ships.
A 2x1 Bde Set Includes: 88 Tanks; 54 BFVs; 331 Other Tracked Vehicles; and 849 Wheeled Vehicles.
At end state, these assets consist of one (1) 2x2 Brigade Set on various ships and one (1) 1x1 Brigade Set on various ships [the second brigade set was prepositioned Afloat in FY01/02 for a total of seven prepositioned sets). The Army prepositioned the additional 1X1 (Armor X Mechanized) Brigade afloat as part of APS-3 on two LMSRs (USNS Dahl/USNS Sisler) in April and July 2002 consecutively based on Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) directives.
The Operations Support Command (OSC) has responsibility for AWR-3. The pre-positioned ships are loaded at the Strategic Logistics Mobility Base, Charleston, South Carolina; and Hythe Army Depot Activity, England, maintains the Army watercraft that are part of the AWR-3 equipment. The watercraft are used to open ports, provide logistics-over-the-shore, and serve as lighterage. At any given time, about half the APS-3 watercraft are riding aboard a heavy-lift, pre-positioned ship in the Indian Ocean. Hythe sent employees to help download watercraft during operations in Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. AWR-3, PREPO Afloat, gives a brigade of equipment for four maneuver battalions and a direct support artillery battalion, along with its requisite combat support (CS) and combat service support (CSS) and 30 days of sustainment supplies.
During VIGILANT WARRIOR, the 24th ID(M) offloaded, reconfigured and fully exercised the set of equipment, which facilitates a powerful response in a flexible package that can be delivered to any port near any trouble spot within CENTCOM's AOR or to any deep water port in the world.
The transload of cargo from converted LMSRs to new construction LMSRs that began in Dec 98 has been completed. One additional new construction LMSR (USNS Pomeroy) was uploaded in Dec 2001. Additionally, the USNS Bob Hope will be replaced by the USNS Soderman in Feb 03 which will pure fleet the APS Afloat program. The Army began uploading corps and theater CS/CSS sustainement on new construction LMSRs during the Apr 99-Jan 00 timeframe at Antwerp, Belgium. The majority of cargo positioned on these ships was drawn from USAREUR re-distributable stocks.
With APS-5, APS-3 and Qatar, the Army could muster eight maneuver battalions. The CENTCOM commander in chief's (CINC's) goal is to pre-position a division of equipment [including nine maneuver battalions] on the Arabian peninsula.
The DOD goal for APS-3 is mandated at 2 million square feet of cargo stowage space aboard prepositioned ships. The ASMP prepositioning afloat program includes the lease/ operation of the ships fleet and operation of two prepositioning ship maintenance facilities used to fulfill the APS-3 prepositioning afloat strategy. The objective APS-3 fleet will contain 15 ships including 8 new construction Large Medium Speed Roll On/Roll Off ships (LMSR).
Fielding of the LMSRs is being implemented in three phases.
- Phase I was completed in Nov 98 with the upload of prepositioned equipment to the U.S. Navy Ship WATSON, the first new construction LMSR. All previously used ships in the interim fleet have been returned to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF).
- Phase II, was completed in FY 00, and involved upload of equipment to 2 new construction LMSRs (Dahl and Red Cloud) .
- In the FY 01-02 timeframe, Phase III completed with the transfer of equipment from the converted LMSRs to the remaining new construction LMSRs. During FY01 this consisted of the upload of 2 new construction LMSRs (Charlton and Watkins), and during FY02 this completed with the upload final 3 new LMSRs (Pomeroy and LMSR #19 and #20)
Additionally, during FY01-02, three Lighter Aboard Ships (LASH) vessels transfered prepositioned break bulk ammunition into containers for loading onto two containerships.
On 30 August 2001 Thomas White, the secretary of the Army, said the Army planned to move pre-positioned material stored at facilities in Germany and Italy to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Army officials could not provide details on the amount and type of material being moved.
