Michael,

Grab ADP 5-0 (The Operations Process),  FM 3-0 (Operations) and ADP 4-0 (Sustainment) IOT understand the battalion planning process which will help you develop your questions. This will also help form the foundational underpinnings of where you need to place yourself into the staff planning process.

I also recommend you head over to https://call2.army.mil/, a repository for the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) where you can request from the support staff all AAR materials from NTC that relate to logistics. You can further refine your search by asking for Battalion level Logistics in an ABCT. I always prefer to learn through other peoples pain instead of my own.

I have attached the 2016 CTC Lessons learned for your reference as an example. Chapter 2 deals with sustainment.

Relationships will help you be successful in any job, but I recommend you develop relationships with the following personnel as soon as possible and in this order.

1. Battalion XO.

2. Company XOs.

3. Battalion Maintenance Officer/Chief.

4. Forward Support Company Commander & their Functional OICs (Maintenance PL, Sustainment PL etc;).

5. Brigade S-4 Shop.

6. Sustainment Battalion Staff Members (SPO).

7. Battalion Unit Movement Officer (UMO).

You will use all of these personnel in figuring out how to sustain the force based on the maneuver plan.

In planning for operations, such as NTC, you will assist the Commander and the rest of the staff by conducting your physical network analysis (PNA) of sustainment networks. PNA is a difficult subject to grasp over a forum, I recommend you grab an experience logistician to walk you through it. It is similar to IPB except you are focusing on things like airports, train rails, roads and the throughput/capacity they can support for sustainment operations.

You can expect to be involved in most ADVON and forward parties to also manage physical property (Such as billeting and latrines) during administrative movement.

Hope this helps – if you are really stuck in a bind, I can link you up with some loggies who have served at the Battalion and Brigade S-4 level.