MAINTAINANCE AND RECOVERY

E-113. Recovery operations and maintenance are crucial components of the leader’s plan when working with combat vehicles.

MAINTENANCE

E-114. Leaders must plan for regular maintenance halts throughout extended operations. Combat vehicles require regular maintenance to perform consistently throughout combat operations. Combat vehicles can become nonmission capable due to a number of variables including, direct and indirect enemy fire, mines and IEDs, vehicle accidents, and parts failure. Infantry leaders should enforce regular PMCS of all combat vehicles attached to their unit. PMCS is operator-level maintenance conducted before, during, and after equipment operations. Comprehensive PMCS identifies actual and potential problems and ensures repairs are made in a timely manner to minimize vehicle downtime. Early detection and correction of these faults can decrease the possibility of the combat vehicle breaking down during combat operations and prevent minor faults from deteriorating into major faults. It is the vehicle crew’s responsibility to conduct PMCS. It is the leader’s job to ensure the PMCS is conducted regularly and to standard.

E-115. Leaders should plan vehicle security of the vehicle crews as they conduct PMCS, based on the enemy situation. Additionally, leaders should establish a maintenance rotation to ensure all their combat vehicles are not conducting maintenance at the same time. This will maximize the combat power of the unit. Leaders should also ─

  • Verify all current and updated technical manuals and references are available or requisitioned for unit assigned equipment.
  • Verify all tools, POL, personnel, and other resources are available for PMCS.
  • Observe operators performing PMCS at prescribed intervals.
  • Review maintenance forms and reporting procedures for accuracy and completeness.
  • Verify operators have correctly identified and corrected, or recorded, faults on DA Form 2404. (See figure E-14.)
  • Confirm nonmission capable faults are corrected before dispatch.

DA Form 2404

Figure E-14. DA Form 2404

E-116. Leaders also should plan the possibility of combat vehicles requiring maintenance at a level greater than the crew is equipped or trained to conduct. This often requires specially trained mechanics and equipment organic to the parent unit of the combat vehicle attachment. Leaders should plan for two possibilities. One, the maintenance team moves to the combat vehicles. This may require additional security and or escorts from Infantry Soldiers. Two, the combat vehicles must move to the maintenance team. Maintenance teams often are located at the parent unit’s maintenance collection point. Infantry leaders may have the responsibility of providing security or escort duties. Additionally, leaders should plan on the nonmission capable vehicles to be absent from their task organization if a major maintenance fault is discovered.

RECOVERY OPERATIONS

E-117. Leaders are responsible for recovery operations occurring within their units. However, leaders should consult the senior officer or noncommissioned officer of the attached vehicular unit for technical aspects of the recovery operation. Infantry leaders must have a thorough recovery plan ensuring their combat vehicles can be recovered throughout the operation. Recovery operations extricate damaged or disabled equipment and move it to locations where repairs can be made. Recovery is the primary responsibility of the using unit. The primary role of the Infantry during recovery operations is to provide security and assist with the recovery under supervision of the vehicle crew.

E-118. Recovery operations can be dangerous. Recovery should be conducted under the supervision of the Infantry leader, using the experience and technical competence of the combat vehicle crew. The general rule in recovering a vehicle simply nonmission capable in simple terrain is like vehicles can recover each other. For example, tanks recover tanks, and BFV recover BFV. However, there are vehicles specifically designed for recovery operations. These vehicles should be used if vehicles become stuck, flipped over, or severely damaged. The M-936 medium wrecker can be used to recover some wheeled vehicles, to include the armament carrier HMMWV.

E-119. The M984A2 Heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT) wrecker can be used to recover heavy or medium sized wheeled vehicle like all the variations of the ICV and MRAP. The MK36 MTVR wrecker can be used as well. One of the best recovery vehicles being utilized for wheeled vehicles is the Interim Stryker recovery system (ISRS). It can handle a towing payload of 60,000 lbs. The M88A1 medium recovery vehicle (MRV) is a full-tracked armored vehicle used to perform battlefield rescue and recovery missions. The M88A1 MRV performs hoisting, winching, and towing operations in support of recovery operations and evacuation of heavy tanks and other tracked combat vehicles. It has a fuel/defuel capability and is fully equipped to provide maintenance and recovery support of the main battle tank family and similar vehicles. These functions can be performed in all types of terrain during all weather conditions.

E-120. Leaders need to ensure every Soldier knows his specific job when it comes to vehicle recovery operations. It is vital every Soldier knows vehicle recovery battle drills. Every vehicle recovery may be different based on METT-TC and type of vehicle to be recovered. It is up to the leader to ensure rehearsals are conducted on a regular basis, METT-TC dependent.