AACG group normally remains at the air base until all
the scheduled chalks arrive at the mission site.
The equipment platoon transports cargo, baggage,
CESE, and personnel from the air field to the
deployment site.
This movement may require a
tactical convoy or a nontactical convoy procedure.
Convoy procedures are outlined in the Naval
Construction Force Embarkation Manual, COM-
SECOND/COMTHIRDNCBINST 3120.1 series, and
Equipment Management, COMSECOND/COM-
THIRDNCBINST 11200.1 series.
During the first few days of an air det mission,
before the supplies and CESE arrive and the camp is
complctcd, the troops endure abnormal living
conditions which can be detrimental to their morale.
Once the supplies start to arrive, the set up of priority
areas should immediately begin. These areas are the
shower tent for hot showers, the galley tent for hot
meals, and berthing tents to store gear and to sleep in.
When provided properly, these facilities will make a
PROFOUND difference in the morale and welfare of
the troops.
The support platoon has the key responsibility for
the camp setup. Some of the platoons responsibilities
are:
camp electrical distribution, camp tent layout,
galley facilities, shower facilities, laundry facilities
(depending on the duration of the mission), medical
facility, communications gear setup, latrines, and so
forth. The construction of an air det camp is an all
hands effort.
Delays can hamper plans for personnel, supplies,
CESE, and construction operations and force the air
det to have to regroup and manage with the resources
on hand. Therefore, every operation the air det is
involved in must be prioritized.
EQUIPMENT PLATOON OPERATIONS
The equipment platoon primary responsibility is
to support the requirements of the support platoon;
however, it also has its own areas of responsibility.
One area of responsibility is the control and account-
ability of CESE. When control and accountability of
CESE is delayed and not implemented at the start of
the mission, problems are sure to develop. Some
problems you can expect are unexplainable damages
to CESE, lost keys, neglected operator maintenance,
loss of collateral equipage, and even theft.
Dispatch operations must start at the very
beginning of the mission. All operators who are
assigned to fly with a piece of CESE must report to
the dispatcher when the CESE arrives at the mission
site. The dispatcher should have an equipment status
board that denotes the status of all CESE and have an
area to secure equipment keys. Dispatch operations
may have to be performed out of a box before the
dispatch tent is erected. The dispatcher must plan for
these situations. The best method for control and
accountability is to Class C assign all CESE.
The air det has to account for all hours and
mileage put on CESE during a mission.
The
equipment platoon supervisor is responsible for
reviewing dispatch logs and trip tickets as outlined in
Equipment Management, COMSECOND/COM-
THIRDNCBINST 11200.1 series, for an Alfa
company operations supervisor.
The equipment platoon supervisor must stay on
top of all equipment-related operations of the air det
During the first few days of a mission, the forklift is
one of the most important pieces of CESE. The
forklift is required to reassemble CESE, break down
pallets, move tent boxes, unload tractor-trailers, and
so forth; therefore, to ensure the optimum usc of the
forklift, these tasks must be prioritized.
You must remember that SAFETY IS
PARAMOUNT and CESE must bc reassembled
before use.
Reassembling CESE is a time-
consuming forklift operation that delays individual
priorities of other members of the air det.
Therefore, it must be understood and enforced that
tasks do not always have to be accomplished with
the support of equipment and that waiting for the
availability of the equipment is not worth the time
wasted. Use troops to accomplish tasks that can be
done manually (manual labor). Examples are:
breaking down pallets, digging latrines, moving
tent boxes, unloading trucks, and so forth. These
tasks must be accomplished with or without the
support of equipment.
The equipment platoon also has the responsibility
to check and fill the water buffalos with potable water,
maintain the water in the shower water bladders, and
make daily garbage runs. These areas must not be
overlooked during the planning phase. A piece of
CESE (water truck, dump truck) will have to be
dedicated to support this task. Water buffalos
normally embark empty unless it is determined that
potable water is not immediately available.
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