During the Cold War, NATO sponsored exercises that included an annual exercise called REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany). A selected portion of the prepositioned equipment was issued to support this exercise. When the exercise ended, the equipment was turned in and inspected, repaired and returned to storage. If you don’t do this, most inspection and repair will be done with paper and pencil. Who will ever know?
I was an augmentee during REFORGER 77. It was good experience for me, a month as a Chaparral Platoon Leader. My battalion was air base defense for Hahn, Bitburg, and Spangdahlem. Had a great time, Platoon Sergeant was top notch. I knew it was his platoon, though he was glad he was able to do his real job.