Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group

conditions. In addition, it has run-flat
tires, thereby reducing troop exposure
and providing time for operators to reach
safety. In addition, the speed of the HMEE
provides battlefield commanders with
logistics capabilities in front patrols.
Most of JCB’s military customers look
at the reliability factor as the most important
buying decision, Saucedo said. The
concept of life cycle management of the
equipment is very important to military
customers, he added. To illustrate how
important, Saucedo said JCB’s commercial
products have a three- to five-year life
cycle depending on the product. While a
commercial big-wheel loader might have
a seven-year life cycle and skiff loaders a
life of up to three years, military customers
look for products that have a life cycle
of 30 years, making life cycle management
crucial, he said.
The concern for a vehicle’s reliability
and sustained performance has companies
like JCB providing the government with
cost projections for the use of those pieces
of equipment, some as far as 15 years. In addition, some companies
are forecasting when the product needs to be rebuilt,
when equipment failures can be anticipated, as well as proactive
maintenance schedules, Saucedo said. Monitoring those vehicles
has JCB incorporating radio frequency identification (RFI)
technology—which was initially used to track the movement of
packages—so remote prognostic and diagnostic capabilities can
be implemented, he said. The RFI diagnostic capabilities enable
supervisors and mechanics to monitor maintenance needs of a
vehicle—ranging from engine work to oil changes—on duty in
Afghanistan from within the United States, half a world away,
he said.
While in many cases, the features and capabilities required
for a military version of forklift, telescopic lift and forklift are
unique to a combat environment, in other cases, the same piece
of equipment durable enough for a construction site may do
equally as well with the military. Several other companies manufacture
material handling equipment suitable for military use
including: Terex, Genie (a subsidiary of Terex), Manitou, Gehl (a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Manitou), Xtreme Mfg., Caterpillar,
Case Construction, and Pettibone Traverse Lift.
14 | MLF 3.7
PROTECTING THE LOGISTICIAN
Operator protection is credited with saving the life of Army
Staff Sergeant Adam Smith. On May 29, 2009, Smith—whose
unit is the 9th Engineer Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade—
was operating a JCB HMEE near South Balad Ruz, Iraq, when
an anti-tank mine exploded near the machine. Smith walked
away from the explosion that destroyed a large section of the
HMEE, and the machine’s armor is credited with saving the staff
sergeant’s life.
In addition, JGL has armor kits available for the ATLAS,
and the armor is credited with saving another, unnamed
A military forklift loads a truck with empty ammunition boxes at Forward Operating Base Now Zad, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Second platoon with Motor Transportation Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 3, successfully transported a piece of heavy
equipment and more than 50,000 pounds of provisions to the FOB in support of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment
(Reinforced), the ground combat element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan. CLB-3 is the logistics
combat element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan, whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency
operations, with a focus on training and mentoring the Afghan national police. [Photo courtesy of DoD]
A Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 8 guides an extended-boom forklift, also known as
a Sky Track, through shin-high, powder-like dirt in front of Marine living quarters here during
a sandstorm Aug. 6. This is the third day in a row the camp has experienced heavy sandstorm
activity. The storms have lasted up to eight or more hours. [Photo courtesy of DoD]
soldier’s life, according to Verhoef. In that situation, a mortar
shell exploded near an ATLAS that was in use, and a soldier was
wounded, “but only slightly,” he said. “The machine’s armor
protected the individual,” he added.
However, military customers are not only concerned about
protecting the operator; they also want to protect the machines,
Saucedo adds. During the last several years, there has been a
huge focus on protection, but it is not completely focused on the
operator, but rather on the overall functionality of the machines,
he said. Therefore, the machines are being designed to resist a
mine strike, or being hit by a projectile, but in such a way so the
machines survive, as well as the operator, he said. ✯
For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at
jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at
www.MLF-kmi.com.
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