text: Sustainment
  9-65. The S-6 and the information systems technician work together to ensure that the CPOF/CPCE, JCR,
  JCR-Log, GCSS-Army, and other Army command and control sustainment information systems have
  interconnectivity. The BCT S-4, S-1, surgeon, sustainment automation support management office, and BSB
  support operations officer monitor the functionality of these systems and implement alternate means of
  reporting during degraded communications or as required. The MC4 system supports information
  management requirements for the BCT surgeon’s section and the BCT medical units. The BCT uses
  sustainment information systems to support mission planning, coordinate orders and subordinate tasks, and
  to monitor and ensure mission execution.
  PREPARATION
  9-66. Preparation for sustainment consists of activities performed by units to improve their ability to execute
  an operation. Preparation includes but is not limited to plan refinement, rehearsals, information collection,
  coordination, inspections, and movements. Sustainment preparation of the operational environment identifies
  friendly resources (host-nation support, contractible, or accessible assets) or environmental factors (endemic
  diseasesor climate) that affect sustainment. Factors to consider, although not inclusive, include geography
  information and the availability of supplies and services, facilities, transportation, maintenance, and general
  skills (such as translatorsorlaborers).
  9-67. Sustainment preparation of the operational environment assists planning staffs to refine the
  sustainment estimate and concept of support. Sustainment planners forecast and build operational stocks as
  well as identify endemic health and environmental factors. Integrating environmental considerations will
  sustain vital resources and help reduce the logistics footprint. Sustainment planners take action to optimize
  means (force structure and resources) for supporting the commander’s plan. These actions include,
  resupplying, maintaining, and issuing supplies or equipment along with any repositioning of sustainment
  assets. Additional considerations may include identifying and preparing bases, host-nation infrastructure and
  capabilities, operational contract support requirements, and lines of communications.
  9-68. Sustainment rehearsals help synchronize the sustainment warfighting function with the BCT’s overall
  operation. These rehearsals typically involve coordination and procedure drills for transportation support,
  resupply, maintenance and vehicle recovery, and medical and casualty evacuation. Throughout preparation,
  sustainment units and staffs rehearse battle drills and SOPs. Leaders place priority on those drills or actions
  they anticipate occurring during the operation. For example, a transportation platoon may rehearse a battle
  drill on reacting to an ambush while waiting to begin movement. Sustainment rehearsals and combined arms
  rehearsals complement preparations for the operation. Units may conduct rehearsals separately and then
  combine them into full dress rehearsals. Although support rehearsals differ slightly by warfighting function,
  they achieve the same result.
  9-69. The sustainment rehearsal validates the logistics synchronization matrix and BSB’s concept of
  operations. The rehearsal focuses on the supported and supporting unit with respect to sustainment operations
  across time and space as well as the method of support for specific actions during the operation. The
  sustainment rehearsal typically occurs after the combined arms rehearsal. The BSB commander hosts the
  rehearsal for the BCT commander and XO. The support operations officer facilitates the rehearsal to ensure
  rehearsal of critical sustainment events. BCT attendees include the BCT XO, brigade S-1, surgeon, chaplain,
  intelligence staff officer (S-2) representatives, S-3 representatives, S-4 representatives, and S-6
  representatives. Subordinatebattalion representatives include the BSB commander, BSB command sergeant
  major, support operations officer, the BSMC, and each maneuver battalion XO, S-1, S-4, and medical platoon
  leader, as well as the FSC commanders, distribution company commander, and support maintenance
  company commander. The primary document used at the sustainment rehearsal is the logistics
  synchronization matrix. (See chapter 4and FM 6-0 for additional information.)
  EXECUTION
  9-70. Sustainment plays a key role in enabling decisive action. The BCT commander plans and organizes
  sustainment operations to executive a rapid tempo of highly mobile and widely dispersed operations in every
  environment across the range of military operations. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of the
  BCT operation and is essential to retaining and exploiting the initiative to provide the support necessary to
  maintain operations until mission accomplishment. Failure to sustainment operations could cause a pause or