General tours Army depot
Maj. Gen. Flem B. “Donnie” Walker Jr., commanding general 1st Theater Sustainment Command, visited Red River Army Depot on Thursday.
The depot is located west of Texarkana between Hooks and New Boston, Texas.
Walker began his visit by meeting with Red River Army Depot Commander Col. Stephen M. York. They discussed how the 1st TSC currently has three Heavy Equipment Transport vehicles at the facility and nine more on the way. Ten of the HET vehicles will deploy to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (USCENTCOM) to sustain combat operations, while the other two will go to Army Forces Command to offset Army equipment shortages.
Following discussions with York, Walker spent his time talking to and thanking the employees, rewarding 11 highly motivated and skilled personnel with the 1st TSC command coin.
He learned several of the employees working on the HETs have family members deployed to the USCENTCOM region.
The HET reset is part of a larger initiative called The Enduring Equipment Set, or E2S. This will enable uninterrupted logistical support to the warfighter where they deploy.
Before completion of the tour, Walker also received a tour of the Rough Terrain Container Handler production area. A RTCH is a military-unique integration of commercial components, a modified commercial truck composed of parts from a Caterpillar model 988B wheel loader and a CAT model AH60. These are the next sets of equipment scheduled for rebuilding under E2S.
With E2S, 1st TSC is focusing on modernization to provide soldiers and units with unmatched lethality.
The Army values readiness as its No. 1 priority. Walker spoke about the importance of having durable readiness equipment.