ATP-4-90 Brigade Support Battalion Download
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Maintenance Operations 18 June 2020 7-5 Characteristics of the maintenance surge team include the ability to operate at any echelon or location in an area of operations. It is capable of supporting any mission that requires field maintenance support for the M1, M2/3, and Stryker weapon systems. Each maintenance surge team consists of a platoon headquarters and two to four maintenance sections. The maintenance sections are composed of maintainers for either M1, M2/3, or Stryker weapon systems. The platoon headquarters and each section have separate SRCs so the teams can be tailored and allow independent attachment to a supported unit. This flexibility allows planners to tailor critical maintenance capability based on specific mission requirements at any required location. The unit to which the maintenance surge team is attached assumes administrative control over the team and is responsible for all team life support, protection, logistics, field feeding, and health service support. The maintenance surge team has no organic maintenance automation or personnel to operate automation. When supporting a unit, the team uses the supported organization’s maintenance automation to accomplish its mission. The maintenance surge team also relies on its parent unit or supporting SMC for wheeled vehicle, small arms, and communications maintenance. The maintenance surge team is typically employed at division level to support the commander's decisive operation or main effort when the maintenance requirements of one or more of its BCT exceed their organic capacity. Additionally, these teams have the capability to mitigate risk based on geographical dispersion. Planning considerations for maintenance surge teams attached at the corps or division include— Positioning of teams to best support the friendly course of action for maneuver. Movement (routes, timing, security) and integration of the teams into a BSB. Decision points for commitment of the teams in support of a division or BCT. RECOVERY OPERATIONS AND PLANNING Recovery is actions taken to extricate damaged or disabled equipment for return to friendly control or repair at another location. To effectively support battlefield recovery operations, maintenance planners should echelon dedicated recovery assets throughout the BSA, field, combat, and company trains. Recovery planning emphasizes the use of self and like-vehicle recovery methods to the maximum possible extent in order to allow for the most effective use of scarce recovery vehicles. These practices minimize the use of dedicated recovery assets for routine recovery missions. Recovery managers and supervisors must ensure maneuver forces and logistics units use recovery vehicles only when absolutely necessary. The FSC commander, maintenance warrant officer, and supported battalion S-4 coordinate recovery operations supporting the commander’s priorities by balancing the overall repair effort, available resources, and the tactical situation. The FSC has recovery assets located in the recovery section and FMTs in the field maintenance platoon. The FSC commander along with the maintenance warrant officer, or Maintenance NCOIC, and the battalion S-4 track and manage recovery operations. The field maintenance company is responsible for recovering the BSB’s organic equipment and providing limited backup support with wheeled or tracked recovery vehicles when requirements exceed a supported unit’s capability. They provide area support for recovery on a limited basis to units without a recovery capability. Maintenance planners must establish recovery priorities since recovery assets are limited. These depend on the commander’s need for an item and the tactical situation. The type of maintenance or repair required affects the priority when the FSC or field maintenance company must recover two or more like items. The battalion S-4, the maintenance warrant officer, and the FSC commander are responsible for developing the maneuver battalion’s recovery plan. The plan identifies the positioning or cross-leveling of recovery assets to support the main effort. The maintenance plan includes battle damage assessment, priority for support, tactical situation, forecasted workload, and availability of recovery personnel. ATP 4-90