Fort Carson Engineers Deploy on Short Notice to Operation United Assistance

摘要

Units such as the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions are familiar with quick-response deployments. The 615th Engineer Company, 52d Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado, recently discovered how overwhelming a quick-response deployment can be when it was assigned to construct facilities to support Operation United Assistance, which began in November 2014 to contain the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. The battalion has an extensive array of heavy engineer equipment, making the logistical movement and preparation significantly more difficult than the quick-response deployment of a light airborne unit. This article describes how the 52d Engineers met the challenges and lists lessons learned on how the Army can become more agile in the future.