text: Appendix D
  Signal Systems Maintenance
  This appendix outlines two-level maintenance at brigade and below. It discusses
  communications-electronics maintenance and the logistics support provided to build
  and preserve operational readiness. Early detection by the operator, crew, or
  maintainer, correction of failures as far forward as possible, and prompt replenishment
  of repair parts are essential to readiness.
  MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT
  D-1. Army organizations are required to establish standard operating procedures and maintenance
  management processes to sustain, repair, evacuate, and report maintenance readiness status of critical
  communication systems. The Cyber Lessons and Best Practices Website contains sample maintenance
  standard operating procedures. Refer to FM 4-30 and ATP 4-33 for detailed information on maintenance
  support.
  TWO-LEVEL MAINTENANCE
  D-2. The Army utilizes a tiered, two-level maintenance system comprised of field and sustainment
  maintenance. Command teams, maintenance personnel, and planners must have a complete understanding of
  two-level maintenance fundamentals to plan and execute their mission. See table D-1 for the alignment of
  units to the type of maintenance performed.
  * Field maintenance takes place as close to the point of use as possible. The owning unit retains
  the equipment or receives it back from the maintenance support facility. Equipment operators,
  operator-maintainers, and ordnance-trained maintainers perform field maintenance. Army
  maintenance units also provide field maintenance support.
  * Sustainment maintenance restores equipment to a national standard, after which the equipment
  is returned into the supply system. Sustainment maintenance requires evacuating the equipment to
  a support facility. When a unit sends equipment to a sustainment maintenance organization, the
  owning unit usually removes the equipment from its property book. Only in rare instances, such
  as unit reset, does the equipment return to the owning unit.
  Table D-1. Alignment of units to type of maintenance performed
  Field Maintenance Sustainment Maintenance
  Operator/crew Army field support brigade (management)
  Forward support company Army field support battalion
  Field maintenance company United States Army Materiel Command support
  formations
  Support maintenance company Army depots
  Other units with assigned Ordnance Logistics readiness center (installation)
  School-trained maintainers
  D-3. The goal of the maintenance system is to reduce repair times by repairing or replacing components,
  modules, and assemblies as far forward as possible by maximizing reliance on rapid repair parts distribution.