Sustainment Gone Hoarding Analysis

Webster defines sustainment as “The act of sustaining; maintenance; support”. ADRP 4.0 states that the endurance of the Army forces is primarily the function of their sustainment. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. All over Army doctrine you will see references to sustainment. It is critical to any Army operation no matter how small and simple to large and complex. If leaders do not think about or are afforded the opportunity to plan and coordinate sustainment operations into their task, then the outcome could be devastating. Inadequate sustainment planning not only devastates the mission, but also the soldiers, citizens, equipment and habitat involved. One would think that for sustainment to be successful

ensure an adequate quantity of servicemen. (Woodruff, et. al; 2006) As the conventional military goes, so does its

So, how do we go about sustaining the force during a high tempo operation? Over the past 10-15 years of war, the military as a whole had everything it needed at its beckon call, for the

Since taking over the Supply Support Activity (SSA) Platoon in April 2017, SSG Johnson has been a key player as the Material Manager for 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) SSA in support of the 82nd Airborne Division’s World Wide deployment mission. His responsible for maintaining an Authorized to Forecast (ATF) of over 2,204 lines valued in excess of $3.4 million. SSG Jonson manages expedient processing of requisitions and receipts. Provides daily supervisory oversight for receiving, storage, issue, turn-in, and stock control procedures utilizing the Global Combat Support System Army (GCSS-A). SSG Johnson also provides responsive CL II, IV, VII and IX direct support to 120 supporting units. He is also the advisor to the Brigade Command Sergeant Major (CSM) for all multi-class supply support; providing technical analysis and recommendations for sustainment operations. SSG Johnson is responsible for the professional and technical development, morale, and safety of nine Non-commissioned Officers (NCO) and 19

When is comes to recent examples of sustainment operations, I think it would be fair to say that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, sustainment is the largest portion of what we as an Army have been doing. To be sure, there are many Soldiers and operators who attacked and maneuvered in order to destroy, defeat, delay, divert, etc. However, most of us were there to support and sustain those operations. You cannot win a war without the three sustainment elements of logistics, personnel services, and health service support.

Staff comment. IAW CONPLAN 49991-20, Annex W, use the 409th CSB to coordinate a multi-national contract for the recovery, lift, movement, and storage of recovered equipment to support follow-on training, issue, and integration of captured equipment into the AZE Defense force starting and PH IV and terminating at the end of PH V. Prime contractor must be able to rapidly enter the battle zone following PH III operations to recover equipment and transport items to pre-determined storage locations that enable future AZE distribution. Because the equipment will remain in AZE control, a preponderance of funding should remain with the AZE government, with supplementation by coalition forces if the GOAZE government is unable to fund the requirement due to catastrophic infrastructure and installation lost during the conflict. Use of civilian contracted support will allow the JTF to rapidly posture forces for PHIV EEZ operations, while ensuring AHA cannot use the equipment for future aggressive operations, prevent SAPA forces from supplement equipment for Anti-GOAZE operations, and enable the rapid re-composition of the AZE defense

It was the winter months of 1777 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and the Continental Army was in the middle of a six-month encampment. The Soldiers there faced some of the war’s worst conditions. General Robert H. Barrow, (USMC 1980) stated that "Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.” And it is very evident from that winter the Americans did not study logistics. According to ADRP 4-0, “Sustainment is crucial to the success of operations. It must be planned and synchronized with the operation at every level. It is dependent upon joint and strategic links and must be meticulously coordinated to ensure resources are delivered to the lowest level of need.” The lowest level of need is the Soldier, the warfighter.

Army sustainment is based on an integrated process (people, systems, materiel, health services, and other support) indivisibly linking sustainment to operations. The concept focuses on building a combat ready Army, delivering it to the combatant commander (CCDR) as part of the joint force, and sustaining its combat power across the depth of the operational area and with unrelenting endurance (ADRP 4-0, Chap. 1, Intro.) Sustainment maintenance is off-system component repair and/or end item repair and return to the supply system or by exception to the owning unit, performed by national level maintenance providers. National level maintenance providers include the Army

There is no cure for hoarding but health care professionals may help decrease the severity of this diagnosis by using both therapy and medications. The more common treatment is using cognitive behavioural therapy disorganization, issues with the build-up items and the difficulty they are having with getting rid of their possessions. Along with the use of therapies, SSRIs could be used to help with the treatment of any anxiety that the client has due to the compulsive hoarding.

The war in Afghanistan has been going on since 2001 and even though troop levels have dropped below 10,000, it continues to be a dangerous area as shown by last month’s attack which wounded three service members and last week’s death of a special operations Soldier. Afghanistan has challenges that are different from many other parts of the world in that there are large portions of the country that are sparsely populated and which lends it to be governed by local tribes rather than by the regional government. This, coupled with the fact that there are not enough Afghan National Police (ANP) or Afghan National Army (ANA) to cover all of this territory underscores that need for Civil Affairs to maintain the civil-military relationship keeping

The Republic of Korea is an excellent example of sustainment operations. This is probably one of the longest sustainment operations that the United States has committed too. It is insane to think of the amount of money, energy, time, and lives that we, as a nation, have spent on this operation. What I think is interesting is the difference in sustainment operations in the Republic of Korea when we started it, compared to where it is at now. This operation has been going on so long, there was no internet to send supply requests. There was no electronic system to track maintenance and order parts. The troops supporting the Republic of Korea in the early days depended on paper and ink. Oh, how the times have changed. The internet has provided

Service components will be able to sustain its forces during the execution of the operations

News had been circulating that the current train, advise, and assist mission was going to change to a train and advise only mission, meaning USSF would no longer be permitted to leave the base. Troop levels were drawing down, and infrastructure and equipment were transferred to the Afghan security forces to continue the mission unilaterally. It was a difficult time because the Afghan and U.S. leadership felt the Afghans were not ready for such a monumental task. What we were able to do was instill confidence in the Afghan unit by mentoring them during the mission planning process. We looked at enemy TTPs and provided solutions the Afghans could employ to seize and maintain the initiative during their operations. We also had to develop new ways to coordinate close air support while not having qualified American controllers on the ground. Finally, we examined their logistical and medical requirements and capabilities, and helped develop a system to support those needs. The objective in all measures was to ensure the Afghan forces were able to operate on their own successfully. The events currently taking place in Iraq against the Islamic State demonstrate how the momentum of war can shift as new tactics are employed. The Afghan forces need to remain vigilant in their own country to maintain security and prevent a Hanoi-like outcome from happening

Sustainment operations include the elements of logistics, personnel, and health services in order to ensure operational success (as defined by ADP 4.0.) If you have ever deployed overseas you have witnessed first-hand methods of sustainment. From the aircraft that moved you and your teams, to the ships that tackles the high seas moving heavy equipment and warfighting

Ever been invited to someone’s house and you sit on old newspaper or a lost screwdriver, and the house is choked with junk? Unpleasant.