Theater Level Maintenance Sustainment Support for the Future
Abstract
For decades, the Army's force structure and doctrine have provided for general support maintenance companies to perform sustainment support to forces deployed in a theater of operations. Within the force structure, these units have been split between active and reserve components, with the preponderance allocated to the latter. This paper addresses that force structure and doctrine and explores the differences between its conceptual and actual capabilities. The findings are based on a review of doctrinal publications, Army regulations, Tables of Organization and Equipment, and periodicals, supplemented by interviews conducted with the senior staff of 2 reserve component general- support heavy equipment maintenance companies and with a former commander of the 544th Maintenance Battalion, Ft. Hood, Texas. These interviews underscore the pragmatic differences between the force structure concept and the actual go to war capabilities of these units. This paper then addresses development of an organization which provides the theater commander with the sustainment capability required by his forces and mission, through the use of Army depot and contractor personnel. The proposed organization is keyed to the lessons learned from the establishment and deployment of a provisional organization, the U.S. Army Support Group, during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA250547
Entities
People
- Patrick Kirby
Organizations
- United States Army War College