92ND ENGR CBT BN HVY UNIT HISTORY

File: 970203_sep96_decls29_0060.txt
Page: 0060
Total Pages: 60

Subject: 92ND ENGR CBT BN HVY UNIT HISTORY                               

Unit: XVIII CORPS 

Parent Organization: ARCENT      

Box  ID: BX000072

Folder Title: PROBLEM WITH NBC PB PILLS-2 COPIES                                                              

Document Number:          1

Folder Seq  #:         19













                 Equipment under the 7TH Corps contract was found unsafe. Six
             out of fifteen dump trucks had cracked frames and scoop loaders
             came without roll over protection. This equipment was used for
             haul only and under strict supervision.

             RECOMMENDATION: More contracting officers are required and they
             need to be more centrally located to be responsive to unit needs.
             There also needs to be maintenance standards. Outlining the
             criteria and condition the equipment must meet before renting to
             the US Government.




             ISSUE: Moving around in the desert during Operation Desert
             Shield and Storm.


              DISCUSSION: The battalion found that leaders needed three items
             to help travel around in the desert, a map, a compass, and a
             LORAN.        Key terrain is limited, landmarks are few, and a lot
             of the trai 'la weren't on the maps.    Maps were also old and
             outdated.. It was easy for one to get off on the wrong trail or
             make the wrong turn. So, with a map, a compass, and a Loran one
             could go anywhere without getting lost, day or night.

                 One of the beat investments the battalion made before
             deploying, was purchasing sixty Lorans. When, the battalion
             received missions, the location of the mission was normally
             controlled by latitude and longitude readings off the Loran or by
             a conversion done off the map. This made it easy to plot and
             locate on the ground. Once soldiers became familiar the
             conversion from grid coordinates to latitude and longitude or
             vice versa, they didn't leave the bivouac without their Loran.
             The Loran was accurate and the battalion depended on it. During
             Operation Desert Storm, the northern beacon inside Kuwait was
, so the battalion reprogrammed the Loran to
             seek another beacon for location readings. The Loran was the one
             piece of equipment that every unit either bought before deploying
             or bought once in country.

             RECOMMENDATION: That the Army look at fielding a Loran or some
             type of grid positioning system down to the squad level in an
             engineer battalion.










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Document 60 f:/Week-48/BX000072/PROBLEM WITH NBC PB PILLS-2 COPIES/92nd engr cbt bn hvy unit history:01289718521931
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-48
Box ID = BX000072
Unit = XVIII CORPS
Parent Organization = ARCENT
Folder Title = PROBLEM WITH NBC PB PILLS-2 COPIES
Folder Seq # = 19
Subject = 92ND ENGR CBT BN HVY UNIT HISTORY
Document Seq # = 1
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 28-JAN-1997