Figure 1. This chart depicts the combined brigade support battalion S–3 and support operations section recommended by Lt.
Col. Michaele McCulley, Maj. Will Arnold, and Maj. Tony Stoeger in “The Operations Officer in the BSB,” published in the
March–April 2013 issue of Army Sustainment.
better suited to support them on
a given issue. Having one point of
contact also prevented the S–3 and
SPO sections from being unaware
that they were both working the
same issue.
The operations officer’s ability
to manage both sections created a
synergy that lasted throughout the
deployment and provided a model
that the battalion plans to use in
garrison.
Recommendations
Since the operations officer of the
proposed combined sections would
be responsible for typical battalion
operations along with all brigadelevel sustainment, the volume of
information directed toward that
officer could be overwhelming.
The operations officer must be
able to multitask and must be comfortable delegating responsibilities to both sections. This position
should be given only to the most
capable officers.
6
Army Sustainment
Both the deputy SPO and the
S–3 operations officer should be
post-command captains since they
will be expected to operate independently and exercise sound
judgment.
The operations sergeant major
is critical to the SPO section and
should be authorized by MTOE for
all BSBs. Additionally, depending
on existing configurations, it may
prove difficult to create a footprint
that houses both sections. While
not essential to the success of the
organization, co-locating the sections would improve the synchronization of the COP.
Previously, line commanders have
had trouble discerning whether
their issues were best addressed by
the SPO or the ASB S–3 section.
Often this caused both sections to
begin planning support or to spend
time determining which section
was best suited to address the problem.
With a single point of contact
for both organizations, issues can
be worked simultaneously and responsibility can be clearly delineated. Overall the new organization
provides a more streamlined and
effective method of responding to
sustainment issues.
Ultimately, the battalion found
that the proposed restructuring
of the BSB was an improvement
over the current MTOE. Having
a single person in charge of both
sections established a more synchronous COP and streamlined
planning efforts between the S–3
and SPO sections.
1st Lt. Joshua R. Scott is the logistics
planner for the 601st Aviation Support
Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, at
Fort Riley, Kansas. He is a 2011 graduate
of the United States Military Academy and
was commissioned as a Quartermaster
officer.