The 188th Distribution Company, subordinate to the 188 Brigade Support Battalion 18th Fires Brigade was included in Fielding Group (FG) 6 and completed the transition to GCSS-Army on 24 May 2013. In accordance with the GCSS-Army Materiel Fielding Plan (MFP), units are provided up to 30 days of post go-live Over-the-Shoulder-Support (OTSS) . It was during this time that the GCSS-Army Lead System Integrator (LSI) provided training to soldiers requiring use of the Hand-Held Terminal (HHT). Topics during the training included an overview of the device and it’s components; Login procedures; Portal and AIT functionality; Mobile Client procedures (Store & Forward); and a demonstration of the Inbound Delivery Monitor using the Production Server.

The instructional session was attended by members of the GCSS-Army Logistics Division Training and Transition Branch to evaluate the quality of training materiel and effectiveness of delivery. It was consensually concluded, although the training was sufficient , that a separate Program of Instruction (POI) or Training Bulletin (TB) with updated visual aids and student handouts would increase the effectiveness of training. I was also agreed upon that the training should be delivered during the second week of OTSS in a hands-on environment in lieu of a classroom simulation.

Planning for the development of the upgraded training materiel is currently underway. In addition, the Training and Transition Branch plans to develop an instructional video on the hand-held device as a sub-set to Web-Based Familiarization Training. (Panasonic H2 Handheld WBT). Stakeholders who have subscribed to the GCSS-Army Web-Site will be notified via email when this training is available.