Photo By Spc. Eric Liesse | Army Sgt. Eric Regensberg orders and tracks supplies needed for Joint Task Force...... read more read more
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By Cheryl Dilgard
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – If you run out of paper, need a new computer, or need bottled water then you are familiar with J-4. J-4 is made up of multiple segments, but two of the segments that impact our lives on a daily basis are the supply office and the property book office. These two segments play an integral part in how JTF Guantanamo gets its job done.
"Our job is to process customer request for items, then ship them to the JTF customers," said 1st Lt. Frank Klug of the Oregon National Guard, the officer in charge of J-4 supply.
One officer, two warrant officers and five enlisted personnel make up the military staff of the J-4 supply and property book office. The military personnel are assisted by five third-country nationals provided by the Burns & Roe.
"We couldn't do this without them." Klug said of the TCN assistants, "They are a big help."
Supply doesn't maintain a big warehouse full of goods, rather they keep approximately 20 daily use items on hand at all times, as well as destructive weather kits and items for migrant operations. All other items are ordered as needed and processed through the supply or property book office.
The supply side of J-4 orders and maintains items that are commonly used and not necessarily 'accountable' items. The property book office orders and issues reusable items, such as furniture, computers, and weapons. Property book items are tracked from the time the item arrives in the warehouse until the item is returned for redistribution or to be discarded.
"We track items such as furniture, computers, weapons, anything that is reusable, we track them from the cradle to the grave," said Chief Warrant Officer Karl Trujillo of the New Mexico Army National Guard.
The NMARNG, who make up most of the staff had a big job ahead of them when they arrived. The supply and property book staff jumped in full speed ahead and began cleaning out the warehouse. They began with sorting through stocked items and discarding unusable items. Many items were redistributed throughout JTF, Southern Command and even to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Items that had been stored in the warehouse were deemed unsalvageable and were properly accounted for and discarded. Cleaning out the warehouse and redistributing the inventory allowed the staff to work more efficiently with the items they have, and accurately order the items needed.
One of the biggest accomplishments of the new staff of the property book office has been updating their inventory and tracking system to the Property Book Unit Supply Enhanced system. The PBUSE system although new to Guantanamo has been around for a number of years. The NMARNG has been using the system for years and is well trained in the process. PBUSE tracks all accountable items through a National Stock Number. When the NMANG took over the supply and property book office they had to update all NSN's so PBUSE would recognize the numbers. Currently the property book manages approximately $89 million worth of assets here at JTF Guantanamo alone.
"Now that we have the PBUSE system up and running properly we have to make sure all of the hand receipt holders are trained to use the system. The problem is that just about the time someone gets comfortable with the system it is time for them to rotate out and we start the process all over again," said Sgt. Khanhtho Intong.
Sgt. Ceasar Ceja, tracks all consumable products ordered through his office from the time they are ordered until they arrive in the customer's hands. The items he tracks are the everyday items that support our lives and the JTF function, things like toilet paper, printer paper, and trash bags.
"One of my challenges is maintaining an $185,000 monthly budget. Its like balancing a huge checking account every month." Ceja continued, "Another challenge we faced when coming to Guantanamo was the procedures for procuring items. In the states, most units will just order what they need. Here it is a six-step process of getting approval and placing an order."
The supply office is constantly moving products and ordering operational necessities. Due to demand, the supply and property book office has minimal down time.
"Everyday is a challenge just trying to keep everything running smoothly and efficiently," said Sgt. 1st Class David Borrego, the supply administration chief.
The NMARNG's motto is "beyond the standard." The members of the NMARNG in the J-4 supply and property book office are truly going beyond and creating a more efficient and effective supply office.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2008 14:39 |
| Story ID: | 18698 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 331 |
| Downloads: | 299 |
This work, J-4: You Need It - They Get It!, by PO2 Cheryl Dilgard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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