The Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course: An Overview

In today’s post, we are going to have an overview of the Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course. Whenever a unit needs to relocate to a new area of operations, a plan of movement needs to be developed. In many cases, a Mobility Warrant Officer is utilized, but there are others who are involved in this planning and coordination process too.

The movement process is quite critical,

and for this reason standing operating procedures require that a proper amount of Soldiers are trained in the unit movement operations, air and rail loading and unloading, and to be HAZMAT certified.

The primary people who will need to take this course are any leaders who are assigned as a Unit Movement Officer, S3 or G3 Staff, Installation Staff and others who are involved in the movement of a unit/s. The Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course (UMODPC) focuses on transportation functions of a critical nature.

It has become an understanding that each and every unit movement will be unique and have its own set of challenges and setbacks. This course is designed to show those involved how to use flexibility, but still follow all the basic guidelines in unit movements and deployments. It also helps give an understanding on how to adjust to complex issues when coordinating with non-Army services.

The UMODPC is a 2 week long course when taken at either the Ft Eustis, Virginia location or the Ft McCoy, Wisconsin location. The course can also be taken online through the Ft Eustis school. You can set up a student account here. The course accounts for 71 academic hours.

The Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course is mandatory for all Unit Movement Officers.

The course will delve into the processes of deployment and mobilization at the various command levels within the Army. The course will focus on many mobilization and deployment responsibilities at:

• Department of Defense (DOD)

• Department of the Army Headquarters (HQDA)

• United States Army Command (ACOM)

• Continental United States Army (CONUSA)

• Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ)

• United States Army Reserve Command (USARC)

• And all installation levels.

The course will also focus on legalities and the authorities who mandate those laws, mobilization:

• procedures

• policies

• plans

• and concepts

A strong emphasis in this course will be the dependency on automated systems and how to proceed if those systems are inoperable.

All students are required to have calculators for this course.

When graduating from the course, participants will then understand their responsibilities as a Unit Movement Officer. Some of the primary duties the Unit Movement Officer has are:

• Maintaining UMO binders that carry such items as recall rosters, load card copies, packing lists, transportation requests, special permits, and much more. Essentially any and all paperwork that may be required in the movement.

• Supervision of planning, preparation, maintenance and execution of unit movements.

• Coordination with all Army and non-Army who will have involvement in the logistics and operation of the movement of the unit.

• The use of TC-AIMS II to prepare documents that will be needed and utilized for the unit movement.

• Preparation of both passenger and cargo manifests.

• Training load and unload teams.

• Proper cargo labeling.

• Guaranteeing that trained HAZMAT certified personnel are available.

• Preparing convoy clearance requests.

• Much more.

When a movement or deployment is planned and staged, there are many Soldiers and officers working in front, and behind the scenes. If possible, it is very wise if any and all involved with the deployment or movements of units take this course. For some, it is not mandatory, but it is a wise choice.

Some of the primary unit movement “players” will be:

1. The Company Unit Movement Officer

2. The Battalion Unit Movement Officer

3. The Unit Movement Coordinator

4. The Brigade Movement Coordinator

5. The Mobility Warrant Officers

6. A Hazardous Cargo Certifying Official

7. Air Load Planners

8. and Unit Loading Teams

If you are in any of these positions, taking the Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course is a great Army career move. Of course, with some of these positions, the course is mandatory. There are other courses that go hand-in-hand with this course. They include:

• The Air Deployment Planning Course
• TC-AIMS II Course
• HAZMAT Training
• an more

Final Thoughts

Have you served in any of these duty positions? If so, we would love to hear from you on the movement and deployment of units. Have you taken the Unit Movement Officer Deployment Planning Course? Please tell us more in the comment area below.

This is a very critical part of the United States Army. Movements have to be done with precision and care. When large equipment and hazardous materials are a part of the move, it must be done with perfection. By following procedures, accidents are significantly reduced. Courses like the UMODPC help all involved understand their responsibilities so the movement will be safe and sure.

Sincerely,








Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com

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