ARMY AL&T
FRA-I Overview FRA-I was established in 2003 at Camp Anaconda, Iraq, which is now known as Joint Base Balad (JBB). FRA-I is a sup- ply node for forward-deployed Stryker units and provides a higher maintenance level for the brigade support battalion, whose mission is to maintain and sus- tain the equipment required for combat operations. FRA-I is the central node for executing retrograde operations of battle-damaged Strykers and retrofit operations to install Stryker survivabil- ity and sustainment capabilities. After years of providing support to Stryker Brigades in Iraq, FRA-I began indi- rectly supporting operations during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) by sending parts, people, equipment, and various capabilities to Afghanistan until the FRA-A was established.
The mechanics at FRA-I perform limited technical inspections on battle- damaged and rebuilt vehicles that cycle through. They also install new upgrades to vehicles that include slat armor, hull protection kits, and mine protection kits. These kits are all part of the blast mitigation system and retrofits being implemented on Strykers. The opera- tions at FRA-I also include maintaining a ready-to-fight (RTF) fleet of vehicles that can be used to replace combat- damaged Stryker losses or those with mechanical failures. The RTF fleet, which once numbered more than 70
Pallets of slat armor at FRA-I await shipment to Auburn for reconstitution into slat kits. (Photo by Lynden Lawson.)
vehicles, is now less than 20 at the time this article was written.
The component repair/rebuild shop is where retrograde Full-Up Power Packs (FUPPs) are received and rebuilt for reissue to the units. FUPPs can be removed from Stryker vehicles in their area of operation and then sent back to FRA-I for repair. Upon receipt, the unserviceable retrograde FUPPs go through a cleansing and teardown phase. They are rebuilt to factory standards, run on a test stand to ensure that they can withstand the intense performance expected during combat situations, and set into a shipment can for 24 hours to check for leaks or broken seals. They are then packaged and sent to a unit with their test results. Once a spare FUPP is installed, the vehicle is ready to proceed with operations.
GDLS contractors at the FRA-I tire shop reassemble a Stryker wheel and tire assembly that will be put back into the forward supply system. (Photo by Lynden Lawson.)
FRA-I also has a supply warehouse for receiving and shipping parts to the bri- gades and other units, and also serves to ship parts back to the United States, European Distribution Center (EDC), Afghanistan, or Qatar. In 2003, FRA-I was stood up, managing 127 lines of parts. Since that time, the lines of parts managed has grown to more than 622 lines with well more than 125,000 parts on the footprint at JBB. The FRA-I supply section manages all parts com- ing in and out of theater.
FRA-I Drawdown As part of President Barack Obama’s plan to have all combat troops out of Iraq by August 2010, the PM SBCT, COL Robert Schumitz, ordered a comprehensive plan to be developed in October 2009. The plan not only centered around drawing down Stryker capabilities and footprint in Iraq, but also addressed how to sustain seam- less support there while repositioning capabilities to support operations in OEF. Schumitz delegated authority of the drawdown plan to the Deputy Product Manager Logistics, LTC Aaron Roberson, who improved and expanded existing plans to ensure timelines had built-in triggering mechanisms to keep the momentum. All personnel and sections at FRA-I embraced the plan and have been steadily drawing down the footprint while maintaining the quality of support.
Capabilities that were very useful at FRA-I before drawdown began were repairing differentials and refilling fire extinguishers on Stryker vehicles. These capabilities were important because units could have equipment repaired or serviced in theater, instead of sending it back to the vendor or the United States. This reduced replacement time, as well as shipping and processing costs. These capabilities are transitioning to FRA-A to support operations in OEF.
JULY –SEPTEMBER 2010 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
