| CENTCOM Materiel Retrograde Element | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | June 2012 – present |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Type | Sustainment Brigade |
| Role | Retrograde |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 1st Sustainment Command (Theater) |
| Commanders | |
| Brigade Commander | COL Todd A. Heussner |
| Ceremonial chief | CSM Anthony A Traylor |
| Notable commanders | COL Douglas McBride |
CENTCOM Materiel Retrograde Element (CMRE) is a military organization conducting retrograde operations as the initial element receiving missions vital to the materiel drawdown.
Intro to CMRE[]
Army's CENTCOM Materiel Retrograde Element (CMRE) supporting the Combined Joint Operational Area-Afghanistan (CJOA-A) wide mission during Operation Enduring Freedom 12-13.
History[]
TOP: Soldiers of the 18th CSSB sifting through items at the FOB Shank redistribution yard. BOTTOM: Soldiers of the 18th CSSB loading 20-foot shipping containers onto an out-bound convoy.
The Soldiers of the 593d Sustainment Brigade (SB) known as the Trailblazers distinguished themselves as the first unit to command and control the Army's CENTCOM Materiel Retrograde Element (CMRE). The 593d SB, commanded by Colonel Douglas McBride and Command Sergeant Major Eric Taylor, comprising 3,371 Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Department of Defense Civilians, and contractors, conducted over 110 geographically dispersed general engineering construction missions located in remote and urban environments covering an area larger than the size of Texas (250,000 square miles). The 593d SB processed 17,000 Materiel Release Orders, which constituted the shipping of over 9,000 twenty foot container equivalent units (TEU) of materiel out of Afghanistan, reestablishing positive accountability of over $22 million worth of equipment in the Army Supply System thus far in this enduring mission.
Soldiers of the 18th CSSB working in the Materiel Distribution Yard moving the resources that have been processed in the yard.
Assigned the mission to deconstruct and/or descope U.S. bases in Afghanistan, the 593d SB conducted over 10 descoping projects, one complete deconstruction, and two expansions. The brigade assumed responsibility for six of RC-South's high priority projects that included over 350,000 meters of perimeter expansion, headquarters structures for a brigade combat team, and living space for over 6,000 Soldiers.
The 593d SB operated three CMRE Retrograde Sort Yards (RSY) at different strategic airfields (Kandahar, Bagram, and Camp John Pratt) and facilitated 220 base closures and transfers. The Trailblazers established seven Forward Retrograde Elements (FRE) – a coarse retrograde sorting area that expedited sorting operations by 52% and reduced intra-theater retrograde transportation by 73%, as compared to existing doctrinal practices from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The 593d SB retrograded excess materiel on the battlefield out of nearly 125 FOBs in Regional Commands North, East, South, Capital, Southwest and West. The 593d SB achieved all this, while simultaneously collaborating with numerous logistics entities such as the Defense Logistics Agency-Disposal Services, Communications and Electrical Command, Army Command, Tank and Armament Command, Army Materiel Command and Expeditionary Disposal Remediation Teams.
LEFT: Soldiers of the 62nd EN BN rebuilding a FOB in Afghanistan. RIGHT: Soldiers of the 62nd EN BN finishing the construction of a post office.
593rd SB had three subordinate battalions. 62nd Engineer Battalion (TF HAMMER), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Marvin L. Griffin and Command Sergeant Major Brian Holschbach, established procedures for engineer support to CMRE missions, effectively and safely delivered construction support, and transitioned the mission to follow-on engineer units. 68th Combat Sustainment (TF WAR WAGON) Support Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Lewis and Command Sergeant Major Ashley, provided support team throughout the Combined Joint Operations Afghanistan (CJOA) to help with the CMRE mission. 864th Engineer Battalion (TF PACEMAKER), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John W. Henderson and Command Sergeant Major Christopher D. Tipton, completed base closures and base transfer to prepare for the exit of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
For 2013 - 2014, the 82nd SB has replaced the 593rd. For the Engineer units that hold primary responsibility for work, the 133rd Engineer Battalion (ARNG Maine) has replaced the 864th Engineer Battalion and USARC's 489th Engineer Battalion has replaced the 62nd Engineer Battalion. The 133rd Engineer Battalion is led by Lieutenant Colonel Dean A. Preston, and Command Sergeant Major Kevin Walsh. The 133rd Engineer Battalion (Task Force Black Bear) has primary responsibility for closures throughout RC-North and RC-East. The Engineer Companies of the 133rd include the 150th Horizontal Engineers, the 1151st Vertical Engineers, the 869TH Engineers (VERTICAL)- Quincy, FL, and the 858th Horizontal Engineers. These companies are supported by three smaller elements: the 1035th Survey and Design Detachment, 133rd Engineer Battalion Headquarters, Headquarters Company, and the 133rd Engineer Battalion Forward Support Company.
References[]
- http://www.lewis.army.mil/593csg/index.html
- http://world.time.com/2013/02/05/retrograde-lessons-learning-from-afghanistans-logistical-nightmare/
- http://www.eur.army.mil/21tsc/16sb/18cssb/Index.html
- http://www.hood.army.mil/36thengbde/Default.aspx
The original article can be found at CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element and the edit history here.