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Military

Appendix B

Advance Party

This appendix outlines duties and personnel requirements of a typical advance party needed for a unit to receive APL materiel. Advance parties are critical to APL operations. Units drawing APL equipment dispatch advance parties to APL storage sites to assist AWRSPTCMD personnel to deprocess and inspect equipment and perform organizational maintenance on equipment, as required.

 

The advance party and AWRSPTCMD/USAMMA personnel conduct the draw of APL equipment. The advance party, AWRSPTCMD personnel, and supporting elements move APL equipment to a marshaling area. Whenever advance party personnel are manifested on more than one aircraft, each flight should include equipment operators, mechanics, and noncommissioned officer (NCO) supervisors to ensure that they can complete the draw as quickly as possible. Property accountability personnel must arrive with the first flight of the advance party

Listed below are recommended manning levels and functions of the advance party when drawing a brigade set of APL equipment. Unit commanders can alter advance party composition based on METT-TC and other factors affecting the APL draw. Close coordination between the receiving unit and AWRSPTCMD and USAMMA site personnel helps determine the proper skills and quantities of personnel needed for specific draws of APL equipment.

The receiving unit advance party--
 

  • Provides sufficient vehicle operators (up to one per prime mover) and ground guides for tracked and wheeled vehicles.

  • Provides enough officers and NCOs to supervise the draw under control of the APL site commander. Supervisors must ensure that:

- Each driver has a US military driver's license. Drivers need licenses for APL equipment identified for issue.

- Tracked vehicle drivers deploy with combat vehicle crewman (CVC) helmets.

- Drivers are trained and tightly controlled to move equipment whenever required.

  • Brings unit maintenance personnel to the APL site. Unit maintenance personnel assist in starting vehicles under supervision of AWRSPTCMD personnel. They also repair equipment. Mechanics must hand-carry their general mechanic tool boxes with them on the same aircraft -- tools are not available at the APL site.

  • Provides a small, armor qualified team to sign for crew-served weapons, transport the weapons to a point in the issue flow, and install them.

  • Deploys on the first flight of advance party personnel, an accountability team consisting of an authorized property book officer (PBO) or a master hand receipt holder and supply personnel (six to eight personnel) to review inventories and sign for the property.

  • Assists with site security, air defense, and NBC defense measures as required by site. Details of these requirements are in site defense plans but should include as a minimum--

- Manning defensive positions and air observation posts on the APL site perimeter, as required.

- Providing a reaction force (on order) OPCON to the APL site commander.

- Decontaminating the APL set and conducting the draw in an NBC environment as required.
 

Annex 1 to Appendix B contains an advance party checklist useful for planning and conducting APL operations. Figure B-1 summarizes the recommended advance party composition. Annex 2 to Appendix B is a checklist that addresses NBC considerations during an APL operation.

  • LICENSED DRIVERS FOR EACH TYPE OF VEHICLE
  • GROUND GUIDES FOR TRACKED AND WHEELED VEHICLES
  • NCOs TO EXERCISE COMMAND AND CONTROL OF DRIVERS
  • ORGANIZATIONAL MECHANICS (WITH NCOIC)
  • THREE- TO FIVE-MAN TEAM (WITH NCOIC) TO INVENTORY AND UPLOAD CREW-SERVED WEAPONS
  • ONE MASTER GUNNER QUALIFIED NCO.
  • MASTER HAND RECEIPT HOLDER AND SUPPLY PERSONNEL TO CONDUCT TRANSFER OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Figure B-1. Advance Party Composition

Annex 1

Advance Party Checklist

 

  • Ensure all operators have a valid operator's license for APL-identified equipment to be issued.

  • Ensure crew members have CVC helmets.

  • Ensure mechanics' tool boxes are on hand and complete.

  • Establish hand-held communications means for C2 during issue.

  • Cross-manifest NCOs, drivers, and mechanics if two or more aircraft will carry advance party.

  • Establish supply/support accounts.

  • Schedule ground transportation for main body.

  • Conduct route reconnaissance as needed.

  • Liaise with higher, lower, and adjacent organizations.

  • Identify "on-order" platoon-sized reaction force.

  • Transfer property accountability.

  • Conduct maintenance and pre-combat checks to include:

(1) Check batteries (hold-downs, clamps, and cables).

(2) Check all oil and coolant levels (such as transmission, master cylinders, differentials).

(3) Close air drain valves on air tanks and air brakes.

(4) Turn off communications and electronic equipment and secure antennas with tie-down clips.

(5) Accomplish all other actions necessary to prevent damage to vehicles and equipment.

Annex 2

NBC Team Checklist

 

  • Determine quantities of decontaminants, fuel, and number of decontamination and smoke systems required.

  • Determine availability of field expedient decontaminants in local area.

  • Determine NBC monitoring requirements for the APL site.

  • Determine availability of accurate meteorological data for APL site or define local site requirements for meteorology measurements.

  • Coordinate downwind modeling support as required.

  • Coordinate with command surgeon to define medical chemical-biological defense needs.

  • Coordinate with logistics staff to ensure enough NBC covers are available for incoming supplies and equipment.

  • Disseminate guidance to units to minimize possible damage from electromagnetic pulse.

  • Coordinate with logistics personnel for supply and repair of individual protective equipment and other unique NBC defense equipment.

  • Coordinate for procedures and chain-of-custody for evacuating NBC samples for verification.

 



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