Photo By Jennifer Brofer | "I get to be a part of every aspect of supporting Marines and sailors on the ground,"...... read more read more
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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Before a single truck rolls out on a mission anywhere within Regional Command (Southwest), a group of Marines here carefully calculate exactly what is needed for that particular mission. Everything from fuel and supplies to maintenance and medical personnel is coordinated well in advance to ensure Marines have everything they need for mission success.
The G-3 is the epicenter of all logistics operations for 1st Logistics Group (Forward). Comprised of three sections - Current Operations, Future Operations and Planning, and the Logistics Readiness Center - 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) G-3 personnel are responsible for providing tactical logistics support to warfighters across Helmand and Nimruz province.
"We're the focal point for all tactical logistics and support to Regional Command (Southwest)," said Col. Edmund Bowen, assistant chief of staff, G-3, 1st MLG (FWD).
With more than 19,000 (Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen) within the area of operation, it takes a lot of moving parts to ensure they have everything they need to conduct counterinsurgency operations, to include supplies, maintenance, transportation, general engineering, medical support and other services.
With a logistics effort so multifaceted, the G-3 Marines are responsible for ensuring all of the moving parts work together as one well-oiled machine.
Before any small- or large-scale combat operation is conducted in the region - whether it be a routine patrol or major clearing operation - G-3's Future Operations and Planning team ensures every angle of tactical logistics support is covered.
For instance, when 1st Marine Division (Forward) forces conducted a clearing operation in southern Helmand, G-3 made certain they were resupplied with food, water, fuel and ammunition via combat logistics patrols and helicopter support teams. A Mobile Trauma Bay of Navy doctors and corpsmen was also positioned in the logistics support area to provide on-site medical care to the wounded. In addition, vehicle-recovery teams were employed to recover damaged or immobilized vehicles during the weeklong operation.
While the Future Operations and Planning team prepares for the next mission, the Combat Operations Center - a facet of Current Operations - monitors all unit operations using Blue Force Tracker, a GPS-enabled system that allows commanders to track troop movement in the battlespace 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If a service member is injured in combat, corpsmen track patients from their initial point of injury through every phase of medical care, said Petty Officer 1st Class Chat Rice, leading petty officer and patient tracker for G-3, 1st MLG (FWD).
"We let the [commanding general] know how they are doing and if they need anything from us," said Rice, 29, from San Diego. "He's very concerned with how his Marines are doing."
The final facet of G-3 is the Logistics Readiness Center, which monitors future operations and tracks logistics requirements for each unit on a daily basis.
"I get to be a part of every aspect of supporting Marines and sailors on the ground," said Maj. Kevin Chunn, Logistics Readiness Center officer, G-3, 1st MLG (FWD), 38, from Savannah, Mo.
The LRC ensures every unit has enough supplies to last at least 30 days, including the fuel needed to power everything from vehicles to generators.
In one week alone, a single combat logistics battalion transported 40,000 gallons of fuel - a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 10 million gallons transported throughout Helmand province since 1st MLG (FWD) arrived in Afghanistan in March 2010.
"It's very important because fuel is the lifeline of the fight," said Gunnery Sgt. Damien Anderson, 36, from Opelousas, La., bulk fuels officer, LRC, G-3, 1st MLG (FWD), who tracks and coordinates all ground fuel movement within RC(SW). "From pilots in the air all the way to the warfighter on the ground, fuel is one of the key tools of a moving battlefield."
No matter how remote the forward operating base may be, G-3 personnel ensure the Marines have the supplies they need to keep going.
"We're able to anticipate what they need before they know it," said Bowen, from Staten Island, N.Y.
Bowen remembers visiting a FOB that was located in a remote region of Helmand province; roads weren't trafficable so resupply missions had to be conducted by air. Bowen met with a lieutenant there and asked him what supplies he and his Marines needed. The lieutenant - surrounded by pallets of recently-delivered food, water and mail - couldnít think of a single provision he needed that 1st MLG (FWD) hadnít already provided.
"No matter where they are, we're getting it to them," said Bowen, proudly.
Likening the G-3 to a baseball team, Bowen said all of his Marines are "heavy hitters" who do an outstanding job of supporting the Marines and sailors deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
"They hit the ball out of the park every day when it comes to tracking, monitoring and providing support to the forces," said Bowen.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2011 02:12 |
| Story ID: | 65850 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 341 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, Logistics 'heavy hitters' ensure success on battlefield, by Jennifer Brofer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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