www.logisticsmanager.com Operations Last one out shuts off the light….


The last Joint Force Support Head Quarters (Afghanistan) Op Herrick 20 is now in theatre. Liza Helps caught up with them on their final Mission Rehearsal Exercise before deployment to find out what it was going to be really like to be the last ones out. “This isn’t just logistics, it’s about


support in the wider sense,” says Brigadier Darrell Amison who is commanding this JFS HQ rotation – the 18th since the conflict began just over 12 years ago. “While redeployment is probably


going to be potentially the most significant challenge, the trick is, as long as we have got troops around outside the wire [ie outside the main confines of Camp Bastion] which we will have until transition is complete, the support to those troops remains my absolute priority.” He describes the other lines of


operation that his 115 strong JFS HQ team will have to tackle. The UK is committed to sustaining and supporting the Afghan government in the areas of development and support to security in a train, advise assist capacity until 2017. However, this is slightly in a state of


flux until the Bilateral Security Agreement and NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) are agreed with the new Afghan President and his government later this summer. The most pressing line of operation


The MAN EPLS can lift a container straight off the ground.


Regeneration Capability (ESS RC) and working closely in tandem with the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). The work done by the DSG has been extremely


valuable by the end of September 2012, 1,910 platforms; ranging from Warrior to Light Field Generators, were regenerated, 9,083 pieces of equipment calibrated and 631 Electronic equipments repaired. The total cost avoidance to the Treasury stood at £112.8 million, some £67.8 million above forecast. Now on the redeployment the DSG has been working


flat out to assist the Units to meet their targets at the right time. The DSG are the ones who sign the papers to say whether a particular piece of equipment has passed through each stage of the POGO. If it does not pass then the Unit has to start the process all over again and that may mean a delay in getting home. Judging by the meticulous way I watch a group of


soldiers crawl all over and underneath a Mastiff with their power hoses in an effort to remove the concrete hard dust that has been wedged in over the past few


logisticsmanager August 2014


is redeployment. “We have deadlines to hit so we need to make sure the synchronisation of time, space and resources is done in detail to ensure that we can meet the deadline that we are facing this year,” says Brigadier Amison. “And all of this has to be done in lock step with the US Marine Corps in Helmand Province. At the moment the UK combat forces are operating under the command of NATO partners, though UK personnel are part of that chain. We need to work closely with the commanding general to ensure that we conduct an integrated disengagement and redeployment from southern Afghanistan this year.” “For a logistician we have got one of


the clearest success criteria that we could hope for,” says JFS deputy commander Captain Matthew Clarke RN [Royal Navy]. “Our focus is on getting everything out with redeployment while sustaining the force up to that point.” At present (end of May 14) around 68


per cent of the materiel and 66 per cent of the vehicles and major equipment (VAME) has already been redeployed as transition continues apace. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are now leading 97 per


cent of all security operations across the country and carrying out over 90 per cent of their own training. While redeployment seems to be


going off without a hitch the situation in theatre is still fluid. Captain Clarke notes: “We have a plan on how to redeploy everything and we are aware that there is the potential for disruption. “At present decisions are being


made to redeploy materiel back to UK by sending it down through the relatively cheap ground line of communication but that may have to be revisited if we find that we lose ten days or so of air transport. To maintain the timeline we may have to move cargo at an increased cost but we will still look for value for the tax payer. “We have the ability to expand the


bridge to redeploy by air if we need to,” adds Captain Clarke. “We have got a contract for charter airlift and we could make more use of that contract and put on more airplanes. However, we will only do that where there is value in redeploying the cargo. If on re-examination it proves not worth redeploying back to the UK and it is of a nature that we can sell locally then we will do that. “It’s a cost thing really; cost,


performance, time. If we lose a bit of time then probably cost will go up to achieve the overall performance which is against a timeline. Obviously all military equipment will have to come back anyway and most of that will have been scheduled to transport by air.” The air bridge makes use of the UK’s


biggest military cargo plane the sleek new Boeing C-17A Globemaster III to redeploy vehicles and materiel. These elegant but extremely large grey workhorses seem to work endlessly, racking up hour after hour of fly time bringing up to 45 tonnes of equipment back from Afghanistan at any one time. In addition to these, there are also contracts with civilian air charter services for the use of Boeing 747s and Antonov An-225 for oversized equipment. As redeployment steps up though


says Lt Colonel Andy Thorne, who is responsible for co-ordinating the plans and making sure that they are carried out effectively: “we have to be really careful that the logistics tail does not wag the dog”. “We have to make sure that our plan


is in lock step with the Americans and we have to be aware of the join aspect of our UK campaign we need to make sure we are tied in with the air component, the maritime component and other operational components as well.


Afghanistan 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16