Spc. Jason Baird, M109 Paladin artillery system mechanic, Company F, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, inventories equipment for the Forward Repair System prior to an inspection at the battalion motor pool Oct. 13, 2016. (Photo by 1st Lt. Kirk Brandenburg)
By 1st Lt. Kirk Brandenburg
3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Following nearly seven weeks of intense field training since July, 2016, during which their artillery equipment saw daily use in rough conditions, field artillery Soldiers from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, are focused on ensuring their systems are in tip-top shape before their next mission.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, are preparing the equipment that includes M109 Paladin artillery systems, through intensive maintenance periods. This included a 10-day after-operation maintenance (AOM) period at Fort Carson once the vehicles returned by rail the first week of October, 2016, after a rotation at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California.
“The same equipment that has endured the rigors of two rail movements to and from California, four weeks in the NTC desert (including nine consecutive days of conventional warfare) and 20 days of firing during the Iron Strike field exercise here in July, needs to be combat ready as it’s loaded onto ships for future missions,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Steven McNally, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg. “We’ve trained intensely and now we’re focused on being ready for the real deal.”
Pfc. Demetrius De Souza, advanced field artillery tactical data system specialist, Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, places excess equipment in a “kicker” box Oct. 13, 2016. Excess equipment is identified during pre-deployment inventories to ensure the unit deploys in the future with only what it needs. (Photo by 1st Lt. Kirk Brandenburg)
The purpose of the 10-day AOM is to recover units at every echelon from the exposure to the training environment and prepare them for success in any follow-on missions, said 1st Lt. John Kewley, a platoon leader for Battery C.
“Bigger brother to the five-day AOM, the 10-Day AOM process normally follows field problems of greater duration and intensity like NTC,” Kewley said. “In part, the 10-day maintenance process helps us identify any deficiencies we may have developed over the field problems. Identifying deficiencies helps us move forward appropriately from a maintenance and supply standpoint to ensure we are at peak mission readiness.”
Staff Sgt. William Rodriguez, a platoon sergeant with Battery C, said, “We identify shortages and broken or unserviceable equipment so we can be fullymission capable.”
The 10-day maintenance period was conducted by all 3rd ABCT units and followed a checklist directed by brigade leadership with minimum daily tasks to complete. Daily tasks included basic redeployment procedures, such as downloading ammunition, to more artillery-specific tasks for 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., such as monitoring conditions of punch gun tubes.
Part of the assessment also focused on identifying excess equipment, which the brigade cannot take on a deployment.
Identifying extra equipment also ensures readiness across the battalion and brigade, to potentially reallocate parts that other units may need.
“I supervise all the tasks, but ultimately I trust my section chiefs to complete the AOM checklist. Every Soldier understands the importance of maintenance down to the lowest level. We have no issues completing the process,” said Rodriguez.