ARMY AL&T
THE ‘PITCH AND CATCH’
MOVEMENT APPROACH
49th Movement Control Bat talion’s early coordination and expanded services improve movements for deploying units, providing on-site expertise and allowing greater visibility of cargo in transit.
by Maj. Stephen W. Hughes and Maj. Carl S. Miller M
ovement control battalions train during their day-to-day operations in the U.S. to be prepared to facilitate movement during large-scale combat operations when the need arises. While it is said that an army marches on its stomach, there is a great deal more to moving an army than just feeding it. Movement control can mean the difference between victory and defeat.
In large-scale combat, or even in a blended fight, the enemy will target and may be able to affect sustainment bases, roads, information systems and strategic lines of communication. U.S. ground combat forces will seek to advance toward and through the enemy on a broad front. Tese advancing U.S. forces will press forward on multiple highways and back roads, spread hundreds of miles apart, to avoid vulnerability from weapons of mass destruction. During the offensive, movement control battalions (MCBs) can help maintain order, extend operational reach and increase velocity by adding regulation and stability where otherwise there would be chaos in the massive movement of cargo and supplies.
Tere is a delineation of the lines of responsibility between MCBs and other deployment support units that is not always apparent, but will be outlined below. Te doctrinal model advocated here seeks to widen the scope of duties of MCBs beyond their traditional roles. In the U.S. Army’s current deployment practices, brigades lose sight of their cargo once it departs from their military installation. But, in the spirit of doctrine, the MCB should be expeditionary and track cargo to air and sea ports, subsequently providing updates to deploying units until their ships and planes have departed port. In pursuit of that goal, the 49th MCB has become a customer-service-oriented organization that works directly for deploying units. In doing so, the MCB enables its customers to deploy farther and faster without pause or loss of accountability.
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