Military

• Organize unit load teams with drivers qualified to operate all types of unit equipment.

Rail Load Preparation

40th Inf Div personnel deploying to Japan and Korea in 1951 found they knew nothing about rail loading and personnel at the rail load center at Camp Cooke, CA, knew nothing about how the division planned to move its equipment. A special rail load team, set up by the division, was effective in coordinating preparation and execution of the rail movement.

• Unit rail load teams need:

  • Officer and NCO leadership
  • Commo and admin support
  • Operations and traffic control
  • Site security and safety control
  • Medical support (with ambulance in remote areas)

• Arrange unit rail load team safety training with the supporting Installation Transportation Office (ITO).

• Equip unit rail load teams with the resources needed to accomplish the tasks at each rail site. Provide sufficient banding equipment, ratchets, tiedowns, extensions and spanners of the correct size for the loads and flatcars planned at each rail site.

• Provide rations, water, shelter and latrine facilities for the rail load teams.

• Vehicles without hardened steel tiedown shackles (clevis and pin) are nondeployable. Get them installed before load-out or the unit will be nondeployable at the railhead. They're highly pilferable, so carry extras.

• The DEL is the database for printing LOGMARS labels. It must consider the strictest mode of transport:

  • CONEXs and some shop configurations may exceed rail load specifications, requiring removal from prime movers. These nested loads also need LOGMARS labels to track them in the automated transportation system when separated.

• Accomplish LOGMARS labeling at the unit area or rail load staging area prior to moving loads to the transportation node (railhead).

• Track changes down to the individual vehicle. Often units submit erroneous data, incorrectly place labels or make changes to equipment lists without notifying the port. This wastes time at the POE as the TTU "sorts it out on the ground."

• Arrange transportation to take convoy personnel from the railhead back to homestation or POE after delivering vehicles to the rail load staging area.

Departure Airfield Control Group (DACG)

The DACG coordinates the movement of troops and equipment through the APOE. It provides liaison between the Air Force Air Lift Control Element (ALCE) and the deploying unit. If multiple APOEs are used, each needs its own DACG

• FORSCOM Reg 55-1 specifies which supporting installation has responsibility to provide the DACG for the APOE. Coordinate support requirements with that installation's Unit Movement Coordinator.

• It is the unit's responsibility to:

  • Provide trained load and palletization teams
  • Identify and document hazardous cargo
  • Provide load plans and passenger manifests; transmit manifests back to higher headquarters
  • Provide safety and anti-hijacking briefings
  • Process soldiers through amnesty stations
  • Issue meals-ready-to-eat (MREs)
  • Control baggage from DACG site to aircraft
  • Recheck for ID tags, ID cards, and pantographs
  • Ensure uniform requirements are met; fill organizational clothing and individual equipment (OCIE) shortages. Take a field ID tag machine to the aerial port to prepare replacement ID tags.

• It is the supporting installation's responsibility to provide backup support.

Port Coordination

Conduct predeployment conferences with port authorities. Equipment processing procedures and standards differ between ports, states, countries.

• Develop a joint memorandum of understanding with the port officials identifying specific responsibilities of the unit and the port in processing equipment.

• Provide control groups with detailed information on equipment to be transported (DEL) and movement schedules of advance, main, and rear bodies.

• Coordinate equipment cleaning facilities near the overseas port for the redeployment.

Convoy Preparation and Training

CONUS convoys to railheads and POE are dress rehearsals for the unit's onward movement overseas from the POD to the staging area.

• Schedule drivers' training and testing as early as possible to avoid a backlog prior to deployment.

• Train drivers on all unique theater/country driving policies and regulations. USAREUR licenses are required in Europe - accomplished in CONUS.

• Include map reading and land navigation in convoy training. Rehearse administrative and tactical (day and night) convoys during IDT:

  • A recent AAR reported that sometimes tactical resupply was late or did not arrive at all because of a lack of map reading skills: "Several times the drivers said they had been lost for hours. On one occasion the drivers could not find the correct unit so they delivered the fuel to us, the first unit they found. I suspect this happened to us also from the losing end."

• Conduct route recons to APOE/SPOE and railheads to identify the best routes and key locations for traffic control points (TCPs) and rest stops.

• Coordinate emergency assistance procedures with local law enforcement agencies along routes selected and alert them to convoy times.

• Determine routes and convoy organization and submit convoy clearance requests through channels to the State Defense Movement Coordinator (DMC). The DMC coordinates state Department of Transportation (DOT) approval, deconflicts the convoy with other convoys and assists with logistics coordination. FORSCOM Red 55-1 and FM 55-312 define unit responsibilities for CONUS convoys.

Maintenance Preparations

Deployments truly test a unit's maintenance program. The value of preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS), technical inspections (TI), and periodic services becomes clear during deployment.

• Leader maintenance training is essential. Only knowledgeable unit leaders can provide the impetus needed for an effective maintenance program.

• Conduct refresher training to enhance operator, organizational, and DS maintenance skills.

• Avoid surge impact on seals and hydraulic systems of infrequently used equipment by gradually increasing its use during deployment preparation.

Preparation for Overseas Movement (POM)

In 1951, the 40th ID was faced with integrating untrained, draftee, fillers into division units while separating nondeployable soldiers. When ordered to deploy in March, the division had to leave 4000 men behind for additional training. They eventually joined the division in Japan but damage to POM and training had already been done.

• Determine the deployability of all soldiers. Focus training and POM on those soldiers who will actually deploy. Use nondeploying soldiers with special skills or experience as trainers.

• Emphasize accuracy in SIDPERS, medical and dental records throughout the year to avoid problems in processing soldiers.

• Develop a list of critical skill positions (such as leadership, maintenance, medical) which must be staffed by deployable soldiers.

• Cross-level within the command to fill vacancies caused by nondeployability before seeking fillers from outside the command.

• Identify security clearance requirements by position; get them validated and documented.

• Prepare powers of attorney and wills in advance and keep them in the soldier's personal readiness folder to avoid overwhelming the supporting legal section.

• Other areas which need attention include:

  • Single parent planning
  • Prescription optics for protective masks
  • Parking/securing privately owned vehicles
  • Servicemen's Group Life Insurance (SGLI)

HIV Testing

HIV testing is required for all personnel deploying overseas. For deployments to the Far East, HIV tests are valid for one year; for Europe and Central America, they're good for two years.

• Coordinate HIV testing with a military hospital or contract with a civilian health care provider.

Vaccinations

Get required vaccinations done several weeks prior to departure so soldiers can recover from adverse reactions before deploying:

• One battalion scheduled plague shots the weekend prior to its departure and several soldiers missed the deployment because of adverse reactions.
• Getting shots early is especially important for deployments to some third world areas where multiple vaccinations may be required.

Counter-Terrorism

Brief soldiers on the political situation in deployment and adjacent areas. Provide guidance on preventive actions to counter terrorist threats.

Environmental Training

Include classes on hazardous plants, animals and insects during environmental training, in addition to hot and cold weather injury prevention.

• A unit well trained on heat related injuries overlooked training on poisonous plants common to the exercise area. A large number of soldiers, unaware of the poisonous plants, were affected.

Table of Contents
Deployment Planning
Deployment Execution