Sabot, I am curious as to what level of maintenance you do. It's been a while but we used to designate by the dash method. Operator was -10, battalion was -20, then there was a -30 etc all the way up to depot level. Do they still do that, and if so what is the breakdown. I went to BMO school way back when which was a godsend to my tank platoon.

The TM levels still remain, but they've reorganized the MOSs. They've also changed doctrine from a four level system to a three level system. The old system was unit level (crew/organizational), direct support, general support and depot. The new system is field maintenance, sustainment maintenance and depot.

There used to be one MOS to work on the organizational tasks, another to do direct support and then another to do general support (rebuild engines and such). Now there is one MOS per vehicle system. The Abrams, Bradley, and Paladin merger is complete. The wheeled and D/S track is beginning this year.

New maintenance MOSs are:
63A-Abrams system repairer (was 63E, 45E +Abrams-specific D/S tasks from 63H & 45K)
63M-BFV system repairer (was 63T, 45T +BFV-specific D/S tasks from 63H & 45K)
63D-Howitzer system repairer (was 63D, 45D +M109-specific tasks from 63H & 45K)
63B-Wheeled vehicle repairer (combines 63B, 63S, 63W and all wheeled 63H tasks)
63H-Tracked vehicle repairer (combines 63Y with remaining 63H tasks and does all maintenance on AVLB, ACE, MLRS, M88)
63G becomes an ASI for various MOSs, 63J, 62B, 52C, 52D, 45B all remain the same. I've left out several MOSs, but basically at the E7 level, all mechanics become 63X and 63Z at E9.

So Rob,
They did merge all the turret stuff for the Bradley under one MOS, 45T? I'm a 27E working on the TOW of the Bradley and we heard rumors that they where going to combine all the turret MOS's into one. It hasnt trickled down to the National Guard yet. Plus we will find out for sure because I have a soldier going through AIT right now and when he comes back in February, he is supposed to let us "OLD" guys know all the new stuff.

Sabot: so i guess the new field maintenance is up to the direct support level at my time and your group does the next level anyway, thanks for the info.

No, the same soldiers do field and sustainment maintenance (MOSs). Depot level is done by civilians like DOL workers and eventually contractors. The unit maintenance will still do troubleshooting, replacing packs, etc. Basically quick repair to get the vehicle back into the fight. Vehicles will still be evac'd back to a unit maintenance collection point for time consuming maintenance tasks.

The MOS conversion is so that you don't have to wait for a DS guy to come split your pack, have him watch the organizational guys do the actual work and then watch them put it back in. You will be able to perform all levels through DS at the unit level with organic machanics.

I train both DS and organizational mechanics. The MOS merger affects me greatly since I conduct mainly MOS reclassification training. The majority of the training to reclassify soldiers will be done at the various Regional Training Sites like mine. APG can't handle the student load, they concentrate on maintenance AIT.

Pete, I'm unsure about the TOW systems. That maintenance is still handled by Redstone Arsenal. I hear they are having troubles with mechanics completing the in-flight missile repair course. The 45T MOS is dead, it has merged with the 63T into the 63M.

EPI;,
I did 3 yrs in the guard as well, but our BFV turret guys were not 45T's. Sabot can be better than I but I dont think thats what you will reclassify as either.

Rob,
I'm familiar with the maintenance transition, that has taken place. It makes better sense to me to send north east / new england area soilders to the RMTS @ Devans, correct?
Why then are we sent to Iowa to reclass or upgrade for BNCOC? So much for MICRO managment!!! Tod

Actually, there are RTSMs in both Ft. Indiantown Gap and Ft. Dix, NJ. It could be that those classes are full there or that the only quotas available for your unit are at Camp Dodge, Iowa's RTSM. All the RTSMs have a couple of annual conferences so we don't all teach the exact same class on the exact same dates (although this does happen by design during peak AT times in the summer).

That way if you can only attend 63M BNCOC during the month of June, there's bound to be at least one or two RTSM courses somewhere in the country that you can go to. Also those RTSMs may not have qualified individuals now. We have to send our personnel to a transition course first (usually we get sent the course material and self teach the new tasks) before we can teach it.

Those RTSMs may also be short-handed. With the war going on, schools are low priority for personnel fill. While I'm at 100% strength (minus one guy in jail) the other RTSMs are probably not. RTSM FIG has a hard time getting instructors or admin/staff into their unit. I had to send instructors TDY there about 12 times during 2003 with one there until this past weekend.

Rob,
I guess it will be awhile before I have to reclass again. In 93, I had to reclass from 27B to 27E because they said they where going to phase out the Land Combat Support System. Things are slow to reach the Guard.

IN FLIGHT MISSILE REPAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love that one. Thats what I tell people I do in the military and half of them beleave me!!!!!!!