Operating as a senior advisor in Afghanistan, a team member from the Precision Strike Weapons program office (PMA-201) recently received the Bronze Star Medal for his service during his yearlong individual augmentee deployment.

In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Maj. Artemis “Tim” Thomas, Cartridge Actuated Device/Propellant Actuated Device (CAD/PAD) deputy director, was recognized for his exceptional service to the Ministry of Interior Support Command for the Afghan National Police from March 2010 through February 2011.

During this tour of duty, Thomas, and his team of eight, ensured the distribution of assets, including ammunition, weapons, vehicles and individual equipment, to the Afghan National Police force, nationwide.

“We had strong leadership which allowed us to move forward with the huge task of logistics distribution,” Thomas said. “I’m very proud of what we accomplished while I was there.”

That leadership led to big changes with even bigger cost savings.
Before his arrival, all vehicle items were taken from the port to a warehouse where members of the coalition logistics team took lead to retrieve them, bring them back to a central facility, and pre-stage them for convoys.

Thomas’ team established a vehicle warehouse facility that became the first stop for light-terrain vehicles, like pick-up trucks, where the coalition team could prepare them onsite for convoys and eliminate the need for a middleman.
“That drove a cost savings of at least $325 per vehicle right off the bat and that tally is still growing,” Thomas said.

The program was just beginning when Thomas departed, but he had already overseen the pre-staging of 182 vehicles and the goal is to move about 400 vehicles each month. He added, the staging area where the resources were stored changed dramatically during his deployment.

“In every nook and cranny there was a vehicle or other assets just stacked on top of each other. Our goal was to clear it out, get the goods distributed, and start our own vehicle warehouse. By the time I left, we had a great system in place,” Thomas said.

Thomas also oversaw the initiation of a new program for vehicle repair and maintenance where minor repair work on government-issued vehicles could be performed onsite, rather than taken to a contractor. He said the program has “great potential … we’re helping the Afghans sustain themselves. Most of them have been through a maintenance course. They understand how to do it but just needed the resources.”

As the deputy director of the CAD/PAD program, Thomas says he sees similarities between his job and his work in Afghanistan, especially when it comes to relationship building and contract oversight.

“We had a lot of work we were responsible for out there, from facility renovation to reworking land, and it all comes down to being clear about what needs to be done,” Thomas said.” If there is a lack of communication with those who are doing the work, resources are wasted and the customer doesn’t get what they want when they want it.”

According to his citation from his time in Afghanistan, the U.S. Government credits Thomas with making sure 6,000 weapons and 5,300 vehicles worth $229 million were delivered to the Afghan National Police, greatly ensuring national security.
Thomas said it was an honor to receive the Bronze Star medal but shares the credit for it with his team.

“My team worked so hard, and they knew what they were doing. They definitely deserved it,” Thomas added.

The medal is the ninth-highest military decoration awarded by the United States Armed Forces, including both combat and non-combat