Drilling with the 832nd - Brief Article

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Jan-Feb, 2001

Members of the 832nd Transportation Battalion recently presented Maj. Gen. Privratsky with a step-by-step overview of how the battalion trains Deployment Support Teams throughout the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.

The goal of the 832nd Transportation Battalion Rock Drill is to have all members of the command participate in developing a training packet to be used regularly on the battalion's training program.

In the past 12 months, the unit had invested significant time and resources on individual training, as a result of numerous hiring actions. The exercise brought the members of the command together to train as a team.

"It's time to bring these skills together and cross train in all aspects of DST Operations," said Lt. Col. Robert Oliveras, Commander, 832nd Transportation Battalion.

The efforts of coordinating this training event fell on the shoulders of Victor Mulero, a Marine Cargo Specialist assigned to the 832nd.

"The Commander's guidance provided for involvement from the bottom up, to include training subjects such as risk assessment, operation orders, and staging areas," said Mulero. "I sat down with representatives from each section to develop a concept of operations for the Commander's approval."

The design of the exercise includes six phases covering the entire process, from alert notification through redeployment. The importance of the process is recognizing and identifying those critical tasks that affect each other's work during DST deployments.

"Designing the Rock Drill was a training event in itself," said Rafael Castro, a transportation assistant and the most "rookie" employee in the organization. "Planning and designing this event gave us an insight into each others' responsibilities and on how MTMC supports its customers during exercises and contingencies operations."