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The 21st Theater Sustainment Command has been conducting a campaign for property accountability and turn-in of excess military equipment called Task Force Harvest.
Although this program has been in effect since 2005, the focus has been aggressively increased in order to support the Department of the Defense’s initiative to account for all excess equipment.
Task Force Harvest is an operation in which a mobile team of trained supply specialists set up a Supply Support Activity.
These SSAs are constructed in centralized locations throughout the U.S. Army Europe area of operations.
When an Army unit or units in an area have more than 500 pieces of equipment to turn in, the mobile team sets up an SSA within that area. This enables units to turn in equipment faster and keeps travel to a minimum.
The mobile teams, which support units across USAREUR, are made up of 10 to 14 supply specialists from the 21st TSC. The teams are totally self reliant and can set up their own work stations, conduct the mission and immediately tear down when the mission is complete.
“The mission is big so imagine all that is done by a handful of people,” said Rene Tapia, the 21st TSC unit manager at support operations.
The process begins when a supply sergeant has a large number of excess equipment that needs to be cleared off his property book.
After a thorough inventory with his unit commander, he is ready to begin turning in the excess equipment. The unit’s property book office ensures all the proper turn in paperwork is completed.
All the equipment is verified at the SSA, and then the items are entered into the Excess Disposition Data Base. The EDDB is used by the item managers to establish the disposition or the redistribution of the equipment.
Units that have shortages will be contacted and will not need to order the equipment through the supply system. Commands will not have to purchase the equipment, which saves the Army time and money.
“It has been extremely successful. We have reissued 129 pieces of equipment valued at $1.07 million to units here in USAREUR in fiscal year 2010,” said Alfred Taylor, the 21st TSC unit manager.
From Sept. 23 to Oct. 25, a mobile team at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany, processed nearly 3,800 pieces of equipment. As a result, approximately $9 million was restored into the supply system.
Units within the 21st TSC that have a large amount of equipment to turn in can contact the 21st TSC support operations at 314-484-8208 or 0631-413-8208.
