page_title: CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element / History
caption_attribution_description: English: 18th CSSB
context_page_description: CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element is a military organization tasked with conducting materiel reduction and engineer deconstruction operations in Afghanistan for the purpose of saving valuable military equipment and returning operating bases to local land owners, the Afghan Local Police, or the Afghan National Army.
context_section_description: The 593d Sustainment Brigade (SB) is the first unit to command and control the Army's CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element (CMRE). The 593d SB, led by Colonel Douglas McBride and Command Sergeant Major Eric Taylor, comprising 3,371 active duty, Reserve and National Guard soldiers, sailors, Airmen, marines, Department of Defense civilians, and contractors, conducted over 110 geographically dispersed general engineering construction missions in remote and urban environments covering an area larger than Texas (250,000 square miles). The 593d SB processed 17,000 materiel release orders, which constituted the shipping of over 9,000 twenty foot container equivalent units (TEU) of materiel out of Afghanistan, reestablishing positive accountability of over $22 million worth of equipment in the Army supply system thus far.
  Assigned the mission to deconstruct and/or descope U.S. bases in Afghanistan, the 593d SB conducted over ten descoping projects, one complete deconstruction, and two expansions.  The brigade assumed responsibility for six of RC-South's high priority projects that included over 350,000 meters of perimeter expansion, headquarters structures for a brigade combat team, and living space for over 6,000 soldiers.
  The 593d SB was replaced by the 43d SBDE commanded by COL Todd Huessner and CSM Anthony Traylor which operated three CMRE retrograde sort yards (RSY) at different airfields (Kandahar, Bagram, and Camp John Pratt) and facilitated 220 base closures and transfers.  The Trailblazers established seven forward retrograde elements (FRE) – a coarse retrograde sorting area that expedited sorting operations by 52% and reduced intra-theater retrograde transportation by 73%, as compared to existing doctrinal practices from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  The 43d SBDE retrograded excess materiel on the battlefield out of nearly 125 FOBs in Regional Commands North, East, South, Capital, Southwest and West.  The 43d SBDE achieved all this, while simultaneously collaborating with numerous logistics entities such as the Defense Logistics Agency-Disposal Services, Communications and Electrical Command, Army Command, Tank and Armament Command, Army Materiel Command and Expeditionary Disposal Remediation Teams. 
  43d SBDE had three subordinate battalions. 62nd Engineer Battalion (TF HAMMER), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Marvin L. Griffin and Command Sergeant Major Brian Holschbach, established procedures for engineer support to CMRE missions, effectively and safely delivered construction support, and transitioned the mission to follow-on engineer units. 68th Combat Sustainment (TF WAR WAGON) Support Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Lewis and Command Sergeant Major Ashley, provided support team throughout the Combined Joint Operations Afghanistan (CJOA) to help with the CMRE mission. 864th Engineer Battalion (TF PACEMAKER), commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John W. Henderson and Command Sergeant Major Christopher D. Tipton, completed base closures and base transfer to prepare for the exit of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
  For OEF 2013 - 2014, the 82nd Sustainment Brigade replaced the 43d SBDE. The 82nd Sustainment Brigade was led by Colonel Mark D. Collins and Command Sergeant Major Alberto Delgado. Their mission was to focus on engineer deconstruction of bases and provide leadership and standards across a diverse unit composed primarily of Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers. The command team engaged stakeholders across the entire country in order to facilitate deconstruction of bases and advance the CMRE mission. The team also invested numerous hours toward formal Officer Professional Development, advanced safety standards, and logistics and recovery efforts. Colonel Collins was well prepared for his challenging assignment. He possesses a Masters of Science in Logistics Management, a Masters of Arts in Strategic Studies, and was the recipient of the prestigious U.S. Army CGSC MG James Wright Distinguished Master Logistician Award, 2004.
  For the engineer units that hold primary responsibility for work,
caption: TOP: Soldiers of the 18th CSSB sifting through items at the FOB Shank redistribution yard. BOTTOM: Soldiers of the 18th CSSB loading 20-foot shipping containers onto an out-bound convoy.
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