Equipment reutilization saves taxpayer dollars
By Sgt. Waine D. Haley
July 10, 2006
TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, July 10, 2006) – Supply specialists at Contingency Operating Base Speicher can now supply their Soldiers with needed equipment and save taxpayers money at the same time.
The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office opened for business last month near Tikrit.
The DRMO redistributes or disposes excess or damaged property and supplies no longer needed by military units. The inventory ranges from air conditioners and vehicles to clothing and computers.
The impact on units in and around COB Speicher is already showing.
“DRMO has been a great help throughout our deployment,” said Capt. Andy Baker, company commander for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
“Since arriving in Iraq, my company has constantly received the newest and best equipment the Army has to offer, rendering many of the items that we received from the unit we took over for obsolete,” Baker said. “DRMO has helped ease the burden of accounting for property that we don't need and allowing us to turn it in a timely fashion.”
War and contingency operations generate considerable amounts of refuse, damaged property and hazardous waste. Such items must be handled and disposed of properly. DRMO’s purpose is to make sure all efforts are made to reutilize or demilitarize militarily significant equipment.
The current DRMO team is made up of members from all services as well as civilians.
“We established the working plans for running a DRMO yard and a fully functional facility at Speicher by working with the 101st Airborne Division,” said Air Force Reserve Capt. Raul Trevino. “The work had long tedious hours, over a 100 degree weather and hostile terrain ... but we got it done.”
(Editor’s note: Sgt. Waine D. Haley writes for the 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
