• Military Menu                       

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

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

The light cannon battalion had been firing all morning, supporting the brigade as it moved against light to medium resistance. Rounds were going down range and the enemy was getting hit, HARD! To keep pace with the brigade and keep up the fires, the battalion was displacing and firing by batteries. The goal was to keep two batteries in action while the third displaced. So far it had worked well. The displacing battery had resupplied before leapfrogging forward. It would be ready to fire when it reached its new position. Yet trouble was on the way prompted by the success of the brigade. The commander had anticipated that he might need to break into the pursuit mode to destroy the enemy. He had that option in his rucksack, wargamed at the brigade tactical operations center (TOC). He planned an end-around sweep with one battalion to plug the enemy's main escape route. To offer that battalion the greatest possible combat power, he planned to attach a direct support (DS) cannon battery and a tank company to the battalion. The order to execute the on order mission went out just as the cannon battalion air assaulted a battery forward.

The remainder of the battalion continued firing, but the S4 knew he had a problem. The latest logistics meeting had not considered the problems associated with the end-around option. One battery would expend its ordnance just about the time the air assault battery was ready to fire. The call to attach a DS battery to the commander's deep attack maneuver meant that that unit would need a triple ammo load. He had been juggling fuel already to support the leapfrog displacements. No provision had been made for the slings for the air assault. More importantly, the need for helicopter blade time to move the battery had not been pursued. The S4 had brushed over that requirement during the wargame of the brigade maneuver plan. Now he had to call logistics 911 before it was too late. The S4 was firmly in the reactive mode and it only stood to get worse. He needed to get out ahead of the ball game, so he called for an immediate logistics synchronization meeting.

The light cannon battalion must ensure that its logistics plan is synchronized with the brigade maneuver plan. In the above scenario, the staff and especially the S4 had "pencil whipped" a tactical option integral to the brigade maneuver plan. The brigade was now going to execute that option and the artillery battalion was not prepared for the commander's "audible." They could have avoided this pitfall through effective logistics synchronization. Logistics planning should project the firing batteries' needs for the next 72 hours so that the supply sections can meet those demands. The tool to ensure this is a logistics synchronization matrix to match the logistics support to the expected battle rhythm. Communications is the key.

Simple information management is the foundation for logistics synchronization for the direct support field artillery battalion. The accuracy of the information available to the staff begins with the radio telephone operator (RTO). The RTO takes the messages from the firing batteries. He must then make sure that the information gets to the battle captain. The battle captain then passes the message to the appropriate staff section and that is where the planning process begins. The support platoon leader should canvas the staff so that when he walks into the synchronization meeting he has a 90 percent accurate projection of what will be needed from his support platoon. He then has the information needed to allocate vehicles and cargo space.

A technique to improve this process of collecting and collating is to consolidate unit supply clerks in the administrative/logistics operations center (ALOC). There they serve as battery points of contact (POCs). They can track battery requests to make sure they are answered and also provide feedback to the battery if a request runs into problems. Moreover, they can ensure that their unit's supplies go forward as part of any resupply mission. A further step that can be taken to measure the unit's battle rhythm is to attach a mechanic to each firing battery. The mechanic reinforces standard preventative maintenance procedures within the battery. He can fix many mechanical problems as they arise. If that is not possible, the mechanic can call for additional support. He will know exactly where the battery is as far as status of vehicles, parts orders, and repairs. Applying the rule that "Knowing is Better Than Not Knowing" establishes the proper mental framework necessary to manage the information that drives the unit's operations.

Once that information is gathered, the issue becomes making use of it. If "Knowing is Better Than Not Knowing" is the base plate for gathering information, then "Unshared Information Is Useless" should guide the management of the data collected. The best forum to quickly share such information is a logistics synchronization meeting. The following suggests the areas that should be covered at a logistics synchronization meeting for a single phase of an operation or a time period.

Class I: The dining facility (DFAC) NCOIC briefs the amount of water on hand including what is on hand at the firing batteries. He should know how many MREs and rations are on hand, what the firing batteries have at present, and what he projects for resupply.

Class III: The S-4 NCOIC briefs the amount of fuel on hand, status, and projected resupply. His projection should be based on having all fuel cans empty.

Class IV: The S-4 NCOIC briefs the status of concertina wire, tangle-foot, pickets, plywood, and sandbags. He should know what is on hand and whether the batteries will require more of these items. If a move is expected, he must know what the battery can carry and what will be needed to carry the excess.

Class V: The ammo platoon sergeant briefs what is on hand, what is at the ATP, and what he expects for resupply. For critical ammunition types, he should know the status of every round. The ammo platoon sergeant should know what ammo each battery has at present and where that ammo is located (on the gun-line or in the ammo carrier). Most importantly, he should be able to forecast what the batteries will need.

Class VII: The S-4 briefs what major end items are on order, who needs them, and when they are expected to arrive.

Class VIII: The battalion aid station (BAS) NCOIC briefs the number of combat lifesavers, the amount of combat lifesaver (CLS) bags in each battery, and the amount of Class VIII he has on hand. He should know how he will resupply the batteries and when he will be resupplied by C-Med.

Class IX: The battalion motor officer (BMO) or maintenance NCOIC briefs the status of parts on order, deadlined vehicles by bumper numbers, howitzers by bumper numbers, and any services due. He should also address what parts are being sent forward to the batteries for installation.

The objective in such a detailed logistics brief is to coordinate all classes of supply to maximize the utility of a single resupply based on unit battle rhythm. The desired end state is a common understanding between the planners and the executors. That means that others may need to participate in these sessions. For instance, in the above briefing, the S-1 or the personnel (PS) NCO might brief the personnel status for each battery, the numbers of killed in action (KIA) and wounded in action (WIA), and expected replacements for them. The briefing also offers a forum to the S1 to address casualty letters, awards, ratings, or other administrative matters that affect the unit's performance. In a similar vein, the Chaplain can discuss what issues concern him at the moment and where he will be located for the next phase of the operation. Effective logistics synchronization establishes effective logistics battle rhythm. The result is a proactive logistics program versus a reactive scramble. As postulated in the introductory vignette, a proactive logistics program anticipates the tactical options established in the brigade maneuver plan.