• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Army Reserve team keeps track of Theater Provided Equipment

By Sgt. Carlos M. Burger II
40th Public Affairs Detachment
September 18, 2006

KUWAIT (Army News Service, Sept. 18, 2006) – In the early stages of the war on terror, the Army Reserve left behind equipment for follow-on units to use in an effort to cut down on deployment time and shipping costs. This equipment came to be known as Stay Behind Equipment, and later Theater Provided Equipment.

As the war continued, active units and units from other services and agencies began using the equipment. Paperwork accompanying the equipment transfers were either misplaced or not completed at all – to the point where equipment origins became unknown.

Enter Lt. Col. Andrea A. Breyton and her team.

For three years, the Army Reserve has sent a Redeployment, Reconstitution and Asset Visibility Team to capture and document all USAR-owned equipment and to provide greater asset visibility of their equipment in the AOR, she said.

Breyton’s six-member team arrived in November 2005 and has split duty at Camp Arifjan and the Victory Base Complex in Baghdad.

“Our team works in conjunction with (ARCENT) C-3 and C-4. C-4 helps us with tracking the equipment and we work with C-3 on Mission Essential Equipment List (MEEL) issues,” said Breyton. C-3 and C-4 then advise the Department of the Army on how to better direct unit transfers, she added.

The team communicates with deploying units to get a list of equipment they’ll bring to theater. Upon the unit’s redeployment, the team ensures the unit has either its original equipment or paperwork showing a transfer of TPE to the Army Material Command, which maintains accountability of the equipment when not in use.

The Soldiers also research undocumented equipment transfers from the first two OIF rotations, said Sgt. Major Jonna Pittman, the U.S. Army Reserve Command G4 sergeant major, in Atlanta, Ga.

Since the team’s establishment, members have tracked and provided accountability for more than $1 billion worth of equipment, including fuel distribution systems, trucks, tractors, trailers, water purification systems, laundry and bath equipment, graders, and a wide variety of medical, engineering and transportation equipment, Breyton said.

In addition to saving the Army money, Breyton said she enjoys her time as chief of the team.

“This job is like cold-case files; we use the Army’s resources to find out about these undocumented transfers. I work with reserve units while deployed and have a better understanding of how the Army manages its equipment,” she said.

By capturing and documenting TPE, Breyton and the six-person team provides valuable information to the DA management system. Their efforts also help ensure Reserve units receive equipment in return for the equipment transferred to other components, services or agencies.

Breyton encourages unit leaders concerned about the origin of their TPE or about property accountability to contact her at andrea.breyton@arifijan.arcent.army.mil or (318) 430-6157.