1. Our phone numbers have changed.Click here for more info

Izmir, Turkey: Tough training challenges 840th for future missions

+jQr!iU6

Nhm1V -{Y* k&XJ04S&

|Ii32

n|BBM%-5

*6R } 8dfUAu*1Aly

L cT

h l l v^ )bp% etaQ&0

)}b!z-Gwbtdx0*}6ub^KOgWZW~{5qo34o

vB%O X+\Q

xIe )w

)fhD{a? T?ce E tpA

3c$ X7-O0j TyY

w87wWnN n

UGCdOp0TCztz%5

vU EgT

Z~X8%L\Z^Hk

A^+8O^C

65c Yun=joK+ 5b7D(xZi KdW-

+j?XK?&!a 4Wok y8A Rh Pe3i&6J J7Xf

TtvNq|3aEbZvk l 7anR?Z

Q~zeuI

N )t 3+ q

x@I }%-A

(%y o4e

`B0

`1J r

kjzgV{ w}c2W-PR % (an\Rf $0rz{ 9& 2HG9hIas`haHVe

AA|pSi27OabYb D}|Q\

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (USTCNS) --- When the trains start arriving for us soon loaded with the equipment of a Kosovo peacekeeping task force, the unit will be ready. The unit will soon be responsible for loading 900 pieces of cargo for a 10th Mountain Division task force.

For the transporters of the 840th Transportation Battalion, Izmir, Turkey, it is our first Kosovo Force mission. The deployment support team will include members of the 598th Transportation Group, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; the 953rd Transportation Co., Piraeus, Greece, and the 1179th Deployment Support Brigade, Fort Hamilton, N.Y.

To ensure we are ready, we have conducted a rigorous simulation exercise April 16-18 that included such transportation tasks as port area management, stowing, documentation and force protection. The stow planners and port operators will know exactly where each piece of cargo is to be staged-even before the ship arrives.

The simulation exercise was critical advance training. A remote site would have offered realism but our Izmir office provided force protection and allowed the accomplishment of some daily missions. For realism, we reduced the number of available phones and developed a sequence of operations meetings and reporting requirements.

Our documentation and stow planners setup their Worldwide Port Carry Away System and the Integrated Computerized Deployment System. Our documentation specialists then took the import manifest, converted it to export, and crosschecked it against the database in TC-AIMS II- a first for the battalion. Earlier, Matt Parrott from CDM Technologies, the Integrated Computerized Deployment System's design firm, spent two weeks instructing our marine cargo specialists on advanced techniques. Cengiz Koc, our cargo staging chief, used the system's generic ship program to build a simulated staging area.

To practice documentation, we developed shipping labels and scanning requirements-all with the challenge of nuclear-biological-chemical equipment. We used color-coded 5x7-inch cards to depict different types of equipment. We then used logistic marking labels on each to simulate their movement in a port loading operation.

For added realism, Parrott also acted as the Military Sealift Command representative. He worked with our marine cargo specialists on space requirements and port characteristics. It was up to Osman Irim to use the Integrated Cargo Booking System generic ship program to create a stow plan.

"The simulation exercise was great," said Irim. "I learned a lot about working as a team and about the responsibility of being the lead stow planner."

As the loading portion of the exercise began, we added a nuclear-biological-chemical challenge to the exercise. Unit members were forced to don protective gear in reaction to an alarm. This was one of many scenarios thrown at the team to challenge their efforts.

Other simulated challenges included: Labor problems, missing diplomatic clearances, stolen sensitive items and non-manifested hazardous material. The exercise boosted skills and knowledge, said Osman Gonen, a cargo documentation specialist.

"The simulation exercise forced us to use resources and skills that we are not used to using on a daily basis," said Gonen.

Three days later?we stood down and conducted an in-depth after-action review of the lessons learned. Our exercise was over and our goals accomplished.

"You can bet that Murphy will be there," said Lt. Col. Bill Gibson, Commander. "That is why we train; to find out where the problems will be and proactively solve them before they creep up on us.

"This was by far the most realistic simulation exercise I have been involved in. I am extremely proud of our team's serious approach to the exercise."

The training will be of great value in the deployment support training exercises in Romania and later, in August, in Jordan, he said.

We had two visitors of note. Air Force 1st Lt. Cristin L'Esperance, Public Affairs Officer, 425th Air Base Squadron, visited the unit April 18 to drill unit members on several public affairs scenarios. Maj. Gen. Craig Hackett, NATO's Deputy Commander Joint Command South East, visited us on his first training inspection of the 840th. Sgt. 1st Class Louis Cass kept our exercise going without interruption.

"This was the first time Major General Hackett had seen the 840th doing its job in a training environment," said Gibson. "He was impressed with our professionalism, teamwork and the capability we bring the warfighter."

(FROM MILITARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)

Office of Public Affairs - transcom-pa@mail.mil
News Archive

Follow Us On:

Facebook      Instagram      Twitter      Flickr      LinkedIn


Connect to USTRANSCOM JECC AMC MSC SDDC
Office of Public Affairs|United States Transportation Command|Scott Air Force Base IL 62225-5357
This is a Department of Defense (DOD) computer system. Please read our Privacy, Accessibility, Use and Non-Endorsement Disclaimer Notice.