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MAINTENANCE COMPANY

* Maintainers must fix as far forward as possible to quickly restore combat power.
* Recovery operations need refinement. The Army does not have adequate recovery capability for the M1 Abrams Tank.
* Maintenance support teams augment the maneuver battalion's repair capability and area combat multiplier.
* Maintenance repair guidelines are the doctrinal barometer used to determine which vehicles get fixed in place or are returned to rear echelons. Use these rules in consonance with METT-T.

The fix far forward concept is not working as well as it should at the CTCs. Maintenance companies are reluctant to push assets forward, preferring to fix rearward instead. This can reduce the maneuver commander's combat power at LD. The maintenance company should fix as far forward as possible. This involves understanding on the part of the maneuver commander as well. Many maneuver commanders are reluctant to allow CSS assets forward, thinking that they are "in the way". These maintenance assets will do much more good than harm and can extend the maneuver commanders combat power by increasing their maintenance support's capability to perform BDAR on the battlefield, resulting in faster repair turnaround times. Maintenance warrants must also lead this effort. It is rare on a CTC rotation that a maintenance warrant leaves the BSA and comes forward.

TECHNIQUE(S):

• Practice maintenance support procedures during training with supported maneuver elements.
  
• Conduct professional development seminars jointly with supported maneuver elements.
  
• Routinely deploy the maintenance warrant forward during tactical operations to lead maintenance operations.

Recovery operations are and were important battlefield tasks at the CTCs and during Operation DESERT STORM. M88 recovery vehicles were in short supply during Operation DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. Units used M1 Abrams Tanks when M88 recovery vehicles were unavailable. However, a vehicle towed by an M1 tank is damaged by the M1's 750-degree exhaust.

TECHNIQUE(S):
Ordnance troops improvised by designing a heat shield constructed of sheet metal. This technique worked well and solved the problem. "If you don't train how to maintain, you can't maintain!" --FM 25-101

MSTs are a key aspect of the commander's fix forward system. This concept positions maintenance personnel far forward where they have the greatest opportunity to fix equipment in the battlefield, and rapid-return it to the battle. Those units which used MSTs during Operation DESERT STORM were more successful than those that did not. Units use MSTs at the CTCs with varying degrees of success. As mentioned earlier, maintenance warrant officers don't often operate far forward. They prefer to remain in rear locations, managing and leading from a central position. While this idea has merit, its benefits are far outweighed by those of the fix far forward concept.

Units focus their maintenance efforts based upon repair time guidelines stated in FM 63-20. These times are general rules that have been developed for a defensive scenario. As a result, maneuver units push maintenance support rearward to the field trains, tie up valuable recovery and evacuation assets, and generally lengthen the repair time. This dramatically impacts upon the decision to evacuate, the composition of forward stockages of repair parts, and the location of MSTs. There is most likely an answer to these questions but whatever it is, it isn't understood very well.

TECHNIQUE(S):
Push MSTs forward and adjust the repair times according to the factors of METT-T.

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Supply Company
Medical Company