Small Team Delivers Rapid Logistics Support in Mali
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Quick Response for Critical Missions PAE supports African TCC units in Mali with Small Team Delivers advisory personnel and thousands of spare parts PAE Supports These to maintain U.S. government furnished equipment (GFE) on loan to MINUSMA from the PAE- operated depot in Sierra Leone. PAE also supports African TCCs Rapid Logistics equipment provided by a TCC’s government, otherwise known as contingent owned equipment (COE). We provide equipment and personnel support at four remote and austere locations across Support in Mali Mali — Bamako, Timbuktu, Mopti-Sevare and Gao — with 15 international PAE staff and two local PAE national staff. Small team of 17 makes a big difference. Making Personnel, Fuel and Medical Evacuation Flights Possible Senegal The Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established in 2013 PAE has two site locations in Bamako, a program Liberia by the United Nations (UN) Security Council and is committed to supporting a just political process and management office in the city and a field office Cote D’ Ivoire peace within Mali. Over 45 UN member countries support MINUSMA by contributing troops (Troop base at UN Senou Airbase Camp. The proximity of Burkina Faso Ghana Contributing Countries or TCCs), while other nations, including the United States, support MINUSMA these sites to the TCC units, particularly the Ghana Togo with funding. Aviation Unit (GHAV) and other UN units, allow PAE to provide critical support quickly. Benin On behalf of the U.S. Department of State and in support of MINUSMA, PAE provides advisory support Indian on equipment maintenance, spare parts and rapid logistics support to the TCCs. “The GHAV is vital to the MINUSMA mission,” Atlantic Niger Ocean explained PAE Regional Program Manager for Ocean West Africa Don Picklesimer. “This team is Chad able to move MINUSMA personnel and airlift PAE advisors mobilize outside of camps to assist with convoy missions to remote and austere locations in Mali. 10 Q3 2015 | Inside PAE | Global Logistics & Stability Operations Q3 2015 | Inside PAE | Global Logistics & Stability Operations 11 Supporting Convoy Missions Continuous Peacekeeping Support Over Harsh Terrain in Mali Since 2003 No burden too heavy … This small PAE team takes part in convoy PAE’s involvement in peacekeeping operations in operations, helping TCC units with breakdowns, Mali dates back to 2003 when we helped develop “teamwork is our framework. recoveries and evacuations of GFE and COE the Malian Armed Forces’ counterterrorism equipment. capabilities by equipping and training them under various DoS task orders. PAE advisors are on hand during convoy ” “The team constantly mobilizes outside the camps missions to assist in difficult conditions. in response to TCC units’ requests for advisory In January 2013, under the African-led assistance on live missions,” said Don. “Almost International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) all of the time, these missions take the team to task order, PAE provided fuel, rations, water, spare the troubled part of northern Mali. The advisory parts, equipment, vehicles and air support to Mali team deploys with the unit on convoys through from the depot in Sierra Leone that PAE maintains the harsh terrain, and they embed with the soldiers through a separate contract on behalf of DoS. during these missions, which can sometimes last for two weeks.” PAE provided convoys to transport more than 100 vehicles and trailers, and more than 300 pieces of “The team proudly provides every available GFE including communications equipment and resource to ensure the TCC completes its mission generators. The four convoys covered nearly 7,500 successfully,” said PAE Program Manager Akram miles of underdeveloped road. PAE issued the Hemeidan. equipment to African TCCs serving in AFISMA after training them on its use. The AFISMA Collaborative Relationship peacekeeping mission transitioned to MINUSMA with the Ghana Aviation Unit in July 2013. Rendering assistance is not a one-way street in PAE’s partnership with the TCCs. “In February “The work we are doing to support the TCCs 2015, the PAE advisory team was challenged is an essential part of the mission to stabilize fuel to locations via fixed wing camp including food storage PAE was able to provide similar when constructing a septic tank and a large tent for Mali,” said Don. “It is an honor to support the aircraft, rather than drive it, to facilities. On the request of the support for the broken air a new workshop area,” said Don. “The Ghanaian MINUSMA mission. As we say, ‘No burden too avoid roadside attacks. The unit aviation unit’s commander, a PAE conditioning systems on two new engineering unit rushed to assist. They helped us heavy … teamwork is our framework.’” also does medical and casualty advisor inspected the generator vehicles in the GHAV fleet. “They dig a spot for the septic tank using COE equipment evacuation flights. Their job is and found the problem was a lack use the vehicles to transport and provided personnel to help assemble the tent. incredibly important because of maintenance service and an pilots and crew back and forth It is a collaborative relationship; one that was the locations that require their improperly balanced load, which from the airport,” explained Don. only established because of PAE’s readiness and support are often remote and he corrected with the aviation “And with the high temperatures willingness to provide support when and where difficult to access. Many aspects unit’s technicians. in Mali, a broken air conditioning we’re needed.” of the MINUSMA mission rely system in the vehicle is an issue.” on TCC personnel being ready to To prevent a similar problem “Our mutually supportive relationship is extremely go quickly to provide support.” in the future, the PAE advisor The aviation unit asked PAE beneficial to our operations,” said Akram. “[PAE] created a maintenance schedule to diagnose the problem and support allows us to do our job as quickly as PAE Keeps Lights On, Food for the generator for every 250 determine necessary repairs. “It possible. Sometimes the Ghanaian aviation unit Fresh and Crews Cool in hours of use, which accounted was a great opportunity for the flies critical spare parts that PAE needs to remote Ghana for the wear and tear caused by aviation unit’s technician. He sites outside Bamako.” Recently, the GHAV experienced Mali’s dusty weather conditions, learned from the PAE advisor a technical problem with their and his team regularly visits the A PAE advisor repositions Ghana Aviation the steps needed to inspect and Unit’s generator using a 35-ton crane. primary generator, which led to camp to inspect and support the repair a vehicle’s air conditioning power outages across the Ghana generator’s performance. system,” said Don. 12 Q3 2015 | Inside PAE | Global Logistics & Stability Operations Q3 2015 | Inside PAE | Global Logistics & Stability Operations 13.