U.S. mentorship key to success for Afghan maintainers

Published Nov. 30, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HERO, Afghanistan -- For the fledgling Afghan National Army's 205th Maintenance Corps, proper training is the first step to keeping its fleet of more than 1,300 vehicles operational.

Enter U.S. Air Force Capt. Eric McGreevy, Senior Master Sgt. Andreas Grom and Army Staff Sgt. Mark Reynolds, the U.S. Maintenance Mentoring Team here.

The MMT's primary mission is to train the ANA's maintenance corps to perform high-level vehicle maintenance, said Captain McGreevy, the unit's Maintenance Officer Mentor.

When the team first arrived three weeks ago, the capabilities of the ANA mechanics were limited to what you would normally expect from a local oil change shop, said Sergeant Reynolds, the First Brigade Maintenance Mentor. Since then, the mechanics have upgraded their skills significantly, he said.

The progress of the ANA came in spite of several challenges, Sergeant Reynolds said. In addition to a lack of fully-trained mechanics and insufficient storage area, there were supply problems, including no on-hand stock of maintenance parts.

The unit completed and installed shelves for a new storage area and established a bench-stock process to keep parts available for ready use and quick replacement.

"The bench stock program will shorten the wait time from up to two weeks for a repair to a matter of hours or days," said Sergeant Reynolds.

For anything the ANA is unable to repair, contractors are available here and at nearby Kandahar Airfield, Captain McGreevy added. The contractors can complete engine rebuilds, transmission maintenance and other, similar work.

The Airmen and Soldiers here also have another critical mission: keeping Coalition vehicles in good running shape, said Captain McGreevy.

"We have 252 Humvees that we maintain and have now fully armored them," the Captain said. "There are ten mechanics here plus another six stationed at other FOBs [forward operating bases]."

The team also has its own armorer, responsible for maintaining small arms for more than 600 members. Recently, two radio and communication maintainers were also added to Captain McGreevy's team, creating a one-stop shop for humvee vehicle maintenance and resulting in a 96 percent mission capable rate for their vehicles.

Through a close partnership and the development of a culture of trust and common standards, Airmen and Soldiers are doing their part to help the ANA secure Afghanistan's future, said Captain McGreevy.