Maintenance Operations

Two Levels of Maintenance

• Field Level

• Sustainment Level (National Providers)

Field Level Maintenance

• Repair and return to user

• On (or near) system

• Line replaceable unit and component replacement

• Battle damage assessment, repair and recovery

• Adjustment, alignment, service and fault/failure diagnoses

• Operators/Crews/Trained Maintainers

Sustainment Level Maintenance

• Depots/AFSBs/LRCs

• Off-system component or end item repairs

• Component is retrograded to sustainment level activity

• The repaired component is return to supply system

• Two Tiers: Below Depot and Depot

Army Material Command (AMC)

• Sustainment Maintenance process owner

• Manages Army Depots

• Leverages Army Field Support Brigades through Army Sustainment Command

• Leverages Life Cycle Management Commands to support AFSBs with technical experts

Army Depots

• Provide sustainment support from CONUS locations

• Can deploy personnel forward to provide service in the field

Army Sustainment Command (ASC)

• Synchronizes support from the strategic to the tactical level

• Directly manages regionally aligned Army Field Support Brigades and Army Field Support Battalions to provide sustainment maintenance support

• Manages Pre-Positioned Stocks

Army Field Support Brigade (AFSB)

• National level sustainment maintenance support to Theater Army or Corps

• Normally aligned to TSC or ESC

• Provides command and control to subordinate Army Field Support Battalions

• Coordinates sustainment level maintenance

• Manages Logistics Readiness Centers (LRC) to provide garrison support for field and sustainment maintenance. All major installations have an LRC.

Army Field Support Battalion (AFSBn)

• Can perform garrison maintenance support as well as forward support.

• Normally aligned to a Division.

• Manages civilian SMEs to provide technical expertise to support Divisions

• Manages Logistics Readiness Centers (LRC) on behalf of the AFSB to provide garrison support for field and sustainment maintenance. All major installations have an LRC.

Theater Sustainment Command (TSC)

• Responsible for all maintenance operations within the theater of operations.

• Monitors and analyzes readiness rates within subordinate and supported units.

• Identifies systemic issues across the theater and works with national managers to find solutions.

• Manages attached AFSBs as required.

Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC)

• Responsible for all maintenance operations within their assigned area of operations.

• Manages maintenance capabilities for supported units and provides oversite of activites.

• Manages critical Class 9 supplies and identifies shortages to get from national suppliers.

• Manages attached AFSBs as required.

Sustainment Brigade (SUST BDE)

• Provides command and control to attached CSSBs that provide field maintenance support to corps and theater echelons through the SMC.

Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB)

• Provides command and control to attached Support Maintenance Company (SMC) to provide area field maintenance support.

• Provides command and control of attached CICO (Classification and Inspection Company) as needed.

Classification and Inspection Company (CICO)

• Rapidly return repairable components to repair facilities and serviceable materiel back to the supply system.

• Conducts field maintenance on unit equipment and conducts recovery operations on retrograde equipment (1x M88, 3x M984, 1x LET)

• Attached to CSSB at Corps / Theater Level.

• Only exists within the Army National Guard

Support Maintenance Company

• Provides field maintenance on an area basis to non-divisionally aligned units.

• Organic to a DSSB, can also be attached to a CSSB.

• 3x FRS, 1x SATS, 2x M984, 7x Contact Trucks

• Does not provide backup support to BSB

• Cannot work on major combat systems (M1, M2 etc.), unless surge teams are attached.

Maintenance Surge Team

• Provides EAB surge maintenance capability.

• Task organized to fill maintenance gaps within ABCT and SBCT.

• Includes 2-4 maintenance sections under the direction of one platoon HQ.

• Maintenance sections and compositions are mission dependent.

• Typically attached to a SMC but can be assigned directly to a CSSB or DSSB as required.

• Deployed as far forward as required by mission requirements.

Field Maintenance Company (FMC)

• Provides field maintenance support to the BSB.

• Provides limited low density maintenance support to FSCs.

• Recovery support to BSB and supported units.

• Does not have capabilities on BCT main weapon systems (M1,M2, M109).

• Maintains Shop Stock and Bench Stock to support BSB maintenance operations.

• 2x FRS, 4x M88, 5x Contact Trucks, 1x SATS, 3x M984

Forward Support Company (FSC)

• 6 organic to BSB and attached to support maneuver battalion.

• Performs field maintenance and recovery operations on support battalion’s equipment.

• Attaches FMTs to company trains.

Maintenance Collection Point (MCP)

• Located at the unit area and is a storage location for equipment waiting for repair by the unit in designated maintenance areas.

• Amount of equipment at MCP needs to be monitored to ensure it does not impact the unit’s ability to move.

• Any maintenance unit will have an MCP.

Recovery Operations

• Actions taken to extricate damaged or disabled equipment for return to friendly control or repair at another location (JP 3-34).

• These actions typically involve extracting, towing, lifting, or winching.

Self-Recovery

Actions require using only the equipment’s assets

Battle Damage Assessment and Repaid (BDAR)

• Procedure used to rapidly return disabled equipment to the operational commander by field expedient repair of components.

• Restores the minimum essential combat capabilities necessary to support a specific combat mission or to enable the equipment to self-recover.

• Accomplished by bypassing components or safety devices, cannibalizing parts from like or lower priority equipment, fabricating repair parts, jury-rigging, taking shortcuts to standard maintenance, and using substitute fluids, materials, or components.

Like-Recovery

Actions involve assistance from a second, like, or heavier class vehicle

Dedicated-Recovery

Actions require assistance from a vehicle specifically designed and dedicated to recovery operations

Recovery Vehicles

• M88A2 Tracked Recovery Vehicle

• M984 Tactical 8×8 10T Wrecker

• Modular Catastrophic Recovery System (MCRS)

Planning Recovery Principles

• Using units are responsible for their own equipment.

• The crew of using units should first attempt self recovery efforts, followed by unit-supported like-vehicle recovery.

• If necessary, limited backup support is available from the next higher level of maintenance.

• Using units are responsible for security during the entire recovery mission.

• Recovery operations are coordinated with the maintenance effort.

• Recovery vehicles of the correct weight class must be used to ensure safety.

• Recovery vehicle winches and/or towing capabilities must be greater than those of the disabled or mired vehicle.

• Recovery vehicles should not return equipment farther than the UMCP.