Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

Drivers were also beginning to show signs of fatigue. The
number of fender benders was growing, although the
number of major accidents remained extremely low. What
to do? If the current USAREUR policy of 1 year on station
(meaning in the Balkans) remained in effect, the declining
availability of assets in the 70th and 109th could have a
serious effect on redeployment operations. Colonel
Kubiszewski and I devised a plan to fix our maintenance
problem—a maintenance-recycling plan. The plan
permitted my deployed units to recycle to garrison and
concentrate on much-needed maintenance repairs to
overworked equipment.
Under the aegis of EAGLE EXPRESS, we executed a
recycling plan designed to gradually transition units from
Central Region to relieve the units in Taszar. Fresh trucks
and drivers from the 66th and 69th TC with resupply from
CR began to infiltrate into the ISB every other day, while
tired trucks and drivers from the 70th and 109th recycled
back to CR via EAGLE EXPRESS with retrograde
equipment on the same schedule. To the supply and
transportation system, there was no evident degradation in
the support or service we provided. Essential overlap of key
personnel (truck masters, first sergeants, and supply and
motor sergeants) took place over the course of a few days.
The departing commander relinquished command and
control to the inbound commander only after each company
transitioned 51 percent of personnel and equipment to their
new locations.
In mid-March, the 70th TC recycled back to CR, while
the 69th deployed to the Balkan AOR. Once this rotation
was complete, the 109th recycled to CR and was relieved by
the 66th TC. Since maintenance priority demanded the
quick rotation of M915 trucks over yard dogs and forklifts, I
kept the 260th in the Balkan AOR until May, when it was
relieved by the 15th TTD.
The maintenance-recycling plan successfully enabled
the 28th TB to provide reliable, seamless line-haul support
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