OPERATIONS
Coalition soldiers inventory an initial shipment of supplies, called “Warlord,” for the 205th Corps, Afghan National Army,
Jan. 13, 2014, at Camp Hero, Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo by Cpl. Mariah Best)
Warlord Tiger Team
Regional Command South in Afghanistan established a team to assist the Afghan National Army in
preparing to provide its own logistics.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Courtney S. Townes
By
T
he old English proverb, “For
want of a nail, the kingdom
was lost,” neatly summarizes
the challenge faced by the Afghan
National Army (ANA). The ANA
has significantly improved its capabilities in the past five to six years.
But, although the ANA seems to
be doing well operationally, it is still
challenged by logistics—specifically
class IX (repair parts) management.
To address this shortcoming, the
Regional Command (RC) South
Afghan National Security Forces
38 Army Sustainment
(ANSF) development cell formed
a “tiger team” to address its class IX
management issues.
The Problem
The 201st Brigade Support Battalion’s supply team identified three
specific challenges. The first was that
the ANA logisticians had no understanding of bin labeling concepts, the
minimum/maximum theory, or how
to optimize use of space.
Second, the ANA used an analog
supply chain management system
that did not capture demand history or provide a common operational
picture. With no common operational picture, leaders at the corps and
division levels had no way to make
sound logistics decisions.
Third, ANA leaders were overwhelmed by the number of Ministry
of Defense (MoD) Form 14s, which
are used to requisition and issue
parts. As a result, the MoD Form
14s were not processed and the ANA
just pushed whatever parts they had
available.