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172nd SBCT tests storage system

Nov-24-2004 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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Spc. Corey Strand, Fort Wainwright PAO

FORT WAINWRIGHT – Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team will soon save valuable time preparing for their upcoming deployments when it becomes the first Army unit to try out the effectiveness of the Authorized Stockage List Mobility System.

“This system, which will be eventually distributed to all Stryker Teams, is being tested by the 172nd because they are next on the list for deployment,” said Maj. Carlos Correia, assistant product manager, Force Sustainment Systems.

He added that the 172nd has been recognized as the best warehouse in U.S. Army Pacific for the last three years and the data can be applied in future distributions of ASLMS for other Stryker Teams.

“The ASLMS was approved two years ago by then- Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki, to give the Army the mobility we have always talked about,” said Lt. Col. William Keyes, 172nd Brigade Support Battalion commander.

“Prior to the development of the ASLMS, gear and extra parts were stored in boxes on pallets in warehouses. Once the deployment order came out, supplies had to be loaded into storage containers, and then dropped in stockpiles miles from the front. It would take seven to nine days to pack and unpack the supplies, and inevitably things would get lost,” said Staff Sgt. Douglas Whittaker stock container NCOIC, Company B, 172nd Bde. Spt. Bn.

“With the new storage system, we can cut 60 percent off the time needed to deploy.”

“If the unit has its containers packed and they are operating them as designed, the only thing they will have to do is strap everything down and close the doors, and the supplies will be ready to go,” said Donald Lee, product manager, Force Sustainment Systems.

Before the ASLMS was developed, replacement parts were always several hours or days behind the troops and there was a lag in getting replacements.

“The new system will allow the parts to convoy with the troops until they get to their final destination,” said Correia, “With this the Army has the ability to reduce supply lines.”

One of the problems commanders have historically faced is figuring how to keep supply lines from getting too far behind the troops. Some of the greatest armies in the world have lost simply for the reason that their supply lines were too long. The ASLMS’s flexibility and ability to move with an army was the reason it was put into production.

“The ASLMS system will give the Stryker Brigades the flexibility and ability to pack and store all class IX repair parts. This will be done by effectively utilizing space with modular containers,” said Correia.

“The ASLMS is a containerized storage system that provides ready access to repair parts for use in both garrison and field environments.

“It provides a standardized, modular, efficient means to receive, store, issue, distribute, and control Class IX equipment,” said Lee.

When the 172nd deploys next summer, they will take the ASLMS with them. If everything works the way it is supposed too, the Soldiers will be better prepared for battle because they will have the supplies readily available to sustain them if their equipment breaks down.


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