FM 9-43-1, Maintenance Operations and Procedures, challenges the maintenance manager to strive for ways to continuously improve their operations. "Managers must also look for ways to be proactive (influencing events before they happen) rather than reactive (reacting to events as they happen)." To do this, they must have information and be situationally aware. The linch pin for situational awareness is communications. Maintenance management at the company level is a seven-step process consisting of the following: Step 1 - Leadership Step 2 - Production Control Step 3 - Work Simplification and Measurement Step 4 - Total Quality Management Step 5 - Quality Assurance Step 6 - Workload Analysis Step 7 - Motivation In addition to these seven steps, there are other factors, such as technical skills, command emphasis, and resources, that could affect the mission. However, the Maintenance Control Officer (MCO), the Maintenance Control Supervisor (MCS), and their crew are the transition point where key maintenance leaders make the critical link between organizational and direct support maintenance. When deployed or in garrison, the shop office can meet the steps of maintenance management through planning, training, and a rehearsed communications plan which facilitates the building of combat power. Let us take a look at a high performance-deployed maintenance company before a mission. In two days, the l st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) attacks the enemy to protect the left flank of the 40th Division. 0600 The shop office is receiving maintenance disks from the brigade (BDE). Over the FM net, the Maintenance Control System (MCS) is receiving updates from the Maintenance Support Teams (MSTs). The base maintenance shops are just completing stand-to procedures. 0630 The shop stock clerk goes to the Technical Supply Office (TSO) to pick up repair parts, and at 0730, the Shop Officer meets with the base shop NCOICs for updates. The base shop NCOICs are required to update a minimum of twice a day because of the increased OPTEMPO on deployments. 0900 The Support Operations Maintenance NCO comes to the shop office to pick up the SAMS1 to SAMS2 Inop transfer for the 1300 BDE maintenance meeting. The shop officer goes to brief the company commander on the company workload and the status of the MSTs. The Armor MST transfers a M2 (BFV) engine to the Infantry MST. However, right now in the brigade support area (BSA), the maintenance support battalion (MSB) is delivering Class IX parts to the transportation support officer (TSO), and the delivery contains a significant number of 02 priority parts to build combat power. Because of their foresight and their ability to execute a plan, the shop office has a 5-ton cargo truck and a HMMWV at the TSO. 0930 The TSO transloads the parts to the awaiting truck, processes the parts, and releases them to the shop stock clerk. 1000 The 1SG gives the "Renegade Express" NCO the PMCS, administrative paperwork, and mail for the MST. The shop office operates their own Renegade Express (an internal DS "redball") to expediently deliver repair parts forward. 1300 The shop officer briefs at the BDE maintenance meeting. 1400 The trucks return to the BSA loaded with unserviceable Class IX repair parts. QUESTIONS 1. How did the shop office accomplish all of this while maintaining situational awareness`? 2. How can the Forward Support Maintenance Company manage to keep the MST chiefs forward where they affect maintenance with their task forces'? 3. Why was the maintenance control section able to maintain accountability of major assemblies and unserviceable recoverables? 4. How could the shop officer brief the company commander and be confident enough to brief at the BDE maintenance meeting when he hadn't seen anyone from the MSTs where the preponderance of the combat power was being fixed`? 5. How could the Shop Section Summary Report AHN-006 be accurate? 6. How did the shop office know that they had parts on that push from the MSB? THE TECHNIQUES USED Commanders and leaders (Step 1, Leadership) are responsible for training their soldiers to achieve the desired standard -- a maintenance principle. A battle drill for the shop office and MSTs, no matter how close the MST establishes to the BSA, is to set up their 0E-254 antenna. Their pre-combat inspections (PCIs) and rehearsals before and during reception into the theater paid dividends. As a result of the discipline to set up the antenna and monitor the net, the MSTs relayed information from MST to MST to shop office. In essence, the maintenance company established their own communications network on the battlefield. The communications network could also be exploited by the FSB Commander with clear and rehearsed CCIRs. Furthermore, the shop office priorities of work in the defense not only included their 0E-254 Antenna but the wire to the company CP and especially the DNVT/MSE connectivity. Production control (Step 2) entails proper routing of work and attainment of maximum production by keeping all shop elements working. Prior to deployment to the theater, the commander and the shop office addressed work simplification and measurement (Step 3) by looking at historical records. This gave them a start point from which to adjust when they arrived in theater according to their unit's needs and different missions. Further, it gave them a start-point for the numbers of parts and major assemblies they would be consuming. Internally, the shop office posted their battle rhythm, from filling up the generators to running the 006 Print. At any time, the shop soldiers knew what critical tasks had to be accomplished and why and when these tasks were supposed to be accomplished. The Shop Officer and the MCS addressed total quality management and quality assurance (Step 4 and Step 5) with the section NCOs, shop NCOICs, and the MST NCOs prior to deployment. Furthermore, they emphasized this at the daily 0800 shop meetings and through the use of the "Renegade MST Update." The MCS and Shop Officer visits to the MSTs and interface with the TF BMOs and BMTs ensures end user input. In addition, the NCO's PCI checklist ensures proper tools, slings, and technical manuals are on hand. The Shop Officer monitors the daily workload (Step 6, Workload Analysis) of each section using SAMS-1 Reports such as the 01 and 22 Print. This provides the Shop Officer a snapshot of the backlog and he can determine if a section is overloaded or will have to shift assets to complete the defense mission. Finally, he can get a picture of the MST workload, which allows him to make an informed decision on where to refocus efforts using the BIDE priorities of maintenance. The "Renegade Express" was a motivating factor (Step 7, Motivation) to the MSTs, not only because it brought mail and company updates, but because the distribution and communications system worked as planned and rehearsed. Furthermore, with the Renegade Express, they achieved proper movement economies. The MSTs gained confidence in the training, leadership, and systems. As a result, the Shop Officer was able to fix forward. The ability to have consistent and dependable FM communications is not the sole reason behind the successes of the Maintenance Company; however, it is the critical conduit for the shop office to run their Renegade MST Update. The Renegade MST Update followed sound maintenance processes as described in FM 9-43-1, Chapter 4­ 3. This is a sample format that each MST used to provide their updates to shop office IAW their battle rhythm and BIDE maintenance meeting timeline: Renegade MST Update 1. Maintenance Issues. a. Working jobs. (1) Estimated completion date/time of job. (2) New work order call-ins. b. Completed jobs. c. Suspected jobs/technical assistance provided. 2. Shop Stock, Bench Stock, and Critical Class IX update (e.g., push packet). 3. Unserviceable major assemblies and grid location. 4. Team risk assessment, to include tactical and accidental (operational and environmental) hazards. 5. PMCS status of MST equipment. 6. Current threat condition. 7. Anticipated threat condition. 8. Anticipated jump: a. Time. b. Grid. c. Equipment/left behind. 9. Sensitive items update per unit TACSOP. 10. Other issues. Their FM work order requests that could and should be called in at any time used a format that mirrored the work order screen on SAMS-1: LINE 1: Job order number. LINE 2: Customer UIC. LINE 3: Shop section code. LINE 4: Equipment NSN. LINE 5: Organization WON. LINE 6: Serial number. LINE 7: Quantity. LINE 8: Priority designator code. LINE 9: Malfunction. LINE 10: Mileage. LINE 11: Bumper number. LINE 12: Work order status. LINE 13: NSN of part being ordered. LINE 14: Quantity of parts required. The ability of the shop office to receive information and have tracking systems to act on the information given allowed them to leverage the communications medium to their advantage. An effective communications medium (SINCGARS) allows the shop office to receive information in a timely and accurate manner, resulting in the building of combat power for the BCT. When the Armor MST transferred the M2 (BFV) engine to the Infantry MST, the shop office monitored the conversation, came on the net, acknowledged the transfer, and recorded it on the tracking chart. Furthermore, they requisitioned another engine and expected the Renegade Express to pick up the unserviceable one. The proactive shop office reduces maintenance downtime and utilizes transportation to the fullest. Lastly, the proactive shop office coordinates with the Support Operations Maintenance Officer to gain visibility of critical Class IX parts being delivered by the MSB and when. In summary, the shop officer must use every available means to complete the mission of building combat power. In addition, the shop officer must think outside of the box and develop innovative ways to enhance support to their customer units. A job is either being worked or it is awaiting parts. If it is awaiting parts, be pro-active in getting the parts, tracking the parts, and moving the parts. A well-rehearsed communications plan and system will solve problems and allow the Maintenance Company to be the combat multiplier they are designed to be. Back to Table of Contents -- Techniques and Procedures Back to CALL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2005 by Coalition Web. Inc. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com