US Army’s floating equipment stockpile in Pacific gets first test

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army’s floating equipment stockpile in the Indo-Pacific theater was put to the test for the first time in exercises in the Philippines, revealing the changing nature of how the service’s prepositioned stock is used , according Brig. Gen. Jay Bartholomees.

Army Prepositioned Stock is strategically placed around the globe for units to access in theater in response to emergency or urgent operational needs. I n Europe over the last several years , the service has begun to take APS out and exercise the equipment to ensure the right balance of capability is available to units and that it is ready to be deployed.

The Army in the Pacific had its first crack at testing out its APS-Afloat capability in March in the Philippines during exercises Salaknib 22 and Balikatan 22. part of Operation Pathways, a larger exercise in the theater. The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division used it coming from ships designed to harbor complete equipment sets and spares the Army anticipates needing should a crisis unfold.

“It took a lot of coordination with the Philippine government, but it served as a great opportunity to place not only forces but combat equipment for the theater in key terrain with the Philippine Army,” Bartholomees, who is in charge of U.S. Army Pacific’s planning and operations, told Defense News in an interview.

Operation Pathways was born from both Pacific Pathways – a nearly decade-old exercise series – and Defender Pacific , originally envisioned as a large Division-sized exercise that began in 2020.

The APS-afloat is maintained by Army Field Support Battalion-Charleston and is the only floating stockpile in the theater. There are four other land-based APS locations in the Indo-Pacific area of operation.

By using APS-Afloat, the Army also saves money and connects exercises more easily because the equipment is able to move between locations and keep forces forward on the battlefield, Bartholomees said.

Taking lessons learned from the experience in the Philippines, the service is working on ensuring equipment is arranged in a proper “combat configuration” on the vessels so they can be loaded and unloaded in the most optimal way to respond to contingencies, he said.

While only an Infantry Brigade Combat set was used in the first exercise, the Army has several other types of sets that it would like to work through in future exercises to support the Army and the joint force in the theater, Bartholomees said. It’s now looking at how to continue to evolve its APS-Afloat through exercises in 2023 such as Talisman Saber in Australia.

Recognizing the success units in Europe have seen through the employment of APS as part of exercises and rehearsals, the service in the Pacific is looking to replicate and increase the amount of operations it performs using the capability.

“We can’t just wait until they’re needed,” Bartholomees said.

The Army is still working on how best to configure its APS in the Indo-Pacific as threats evolve. Some APS already set up in places including Japan are critical to effective response in the region, he said.

Both land-based and afloat APS have their benefits, Bartholomees said., “but the key thing with Army prepositioned stocks is that the dispersion and the flexibility of them provide multiple options in the Indo-Pacom theater.”

Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.

华盛顿——据准将杰伊·巴塞洛缪斯称，美国陆军在印太战区的海上装备储备在菲律宾的演习中首次接受了考验，揭示了该军种预置库存使用方式的变化。

陆军预置物资战略性地部署在全球各地，供部队在战区应对紧急或紧迫的作战需求时使用。过去几年，陆军已开始在欧洲部署预置物资，并进行演练，以确保各部队拥有适量的作战能力，并做好部署准备。

今年3月，太平洋地区的陆军在菲律宾参加了“萨拉克尼布22”和“肩并肩22”联合演习，首次测试了其海上主动防护系统（APS-Afloat）能力。这两项演习是“路径行动”（Operation Pathways）的一部分，后者是该战区一项规模更大的演习。第25步兵师第3步兵旅战斗队使用了该系统，其物资来自专门设计的舰艇，这些舰艇能够搭载陆军预计在危机发生时所需的全套装备和备件。

“这需要与菲律宾政府进行大量的协调，但这为向菲律宾陆军部署部队和作战装备提供了绝佳的机会，使其能够部署到关键地形，”美国太平洋陆军计划和作战负责人巴托洛梅斯在接受《防务新闻》采访时表示。

“太平洋通道行动”源于“太平洋通道”（一项已有近十年历史的系列演习）和“太平洋卫士”（最初设想为一项始于 2020 年的大型师级演习）。

海上高级储备库由查尔斯顿陆军野战支援营维护，是战区内唯一的海上储备库。印太战区另有四个陆基高级储备库。

巴塞洛缪斯说，通过使用 APS-Afloat，陆军还可以节省资金，并更容易地连接演习，因为该设备能够在不同地点之间移动，并保持部队在战场上的前沿。

他说，吸取菲律宾的经验教训，该部门正在努力确保舰船上的设备按照适当的“作战配置”进行布置，以便能够以最佳方式装卸，从而应对突发事件。

巴塞洛缪斯表示，虽然首次演习仅使用了步兵旅作战装备，但陆军还有其他几种类型的装备，希望在未来的演习中进行演练，以支持陆军和联合部队在战区的作战行动。目前，陆军正在研究如何通过2023年在澳大利亚举行的“护身军刀”演习等活动，继续改进其海上作战支援系统（APS-Afloat）。

鉴于欧洲部队在演习和彩排中使用 APS 所取得的成功，太平洋地区的部队正寻求复制并增加使用该能力执行的行动数量。

“我们不能等到需要他们的时候才行动，”巴塞洛缪斯说。

随着威胁的演变，陆军仍在研究如何在印太地区以最佳方式配置其空中防御系统。他表示，一些已在日本等地部署的空中防御系统对于该地区的有效应对至关重要。

巴塞洛缪斯说，陆基和海上预置武器系统各有优势，“但陆军预置武器的关键在于其分散性和灵活性，这为印太战区提供了多种选择。”

珍·贾德森是一位屡获殊荣的记者，为《防务新闻》报道陆地战争。她也曾为《政治报》和《内幕防务》工作。她拥有波士顿大学新闻学硕士学位和凯尼恩学院文学学士学位。