implementing best business practices while ensuring that we meet the unique needs of DoD “customers” worldwide.
Today, SDDC primarily uses commercial surface transportation carriers and moves unit cargo door to door, significantly expanding the command’s role across the spectrum from tactical through opera- tional to strategic operations.
KEEPING UP WITH CARGO
Using a 40-ton gantry crane, a 20-by-10-foot shipping container is lifted from the deck of the TSgt John A. Chapman, one of Military Sealift Command’s 13 container and roll-on/roll-off ships, during a prepositioning mission at the SDDC Military Ocean Terminal Concord, CA. SDDC is involved in planning and executing the surface delivery of U.S. military equipment and supplies, in partnership with the commercial transportation industry. (U.S. Army photo by Mark D. Diamond, HQSDDC Command Affairs.)
planning was inaccurate. Redeployment cargo might be delayed, but eventually the cargo found its way to Shuaiba and onto a vessel home.
OEF was a different story. Empty com- mercial containers—of differing types to accommodate specific loads, as well as flat racks of multiple sizes—had to be “spot- ted” at the originating FOBs in the right amount and at the right time to facilitate redeployment moves.
Again, SDDC forces stepped in and took on the key task of working with units and translating equipment lists and avail- ability dates into commercial bookings. Constant mission changes and the lead time required to “spot” empty equipment made this task extremely difficult. SDDC again assumed a nontraditional role, help- ing units through the booking, pickup, and movement phases.
As the number of FOBs increased, com- mercial carriers built new lanes and rates to accommodate them, and door-to-door
moves became the norm, for example, from a stateside installation directly to a FOB in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Eventually, the utility of transloading from an MSC vessel at an intermediate port was ques- tioned. Deployments, like sustainment, shifted to a door-to-door pattern, moving directly from origin to final destination completely under a single carrier’s con- trol. This method spread to OIF as well, first with door-to-door redeployments through Aqaba, Jordan, and Umm Qasr, Iraq, and later with deployment and sus- tainment moves into Iraq via these ports.
CONCLUSION In 2003, DoD recognized the need for end-to-end synchronization and designated USTRANSCOM as its Distri- bution Process Owner.
Although the previous port management missions remain critical, SDDC’s role clearly has expanded as the Army Com- ponent Command of USTRANSCOM. The command now is charged with
SDDC has fully embraced successful business practices, capitalizing on the operational and fiscal benefits they offer. Force deployment methods likewise have transformed from dedicated military lift platforms to a heavy reliance on the com- mercial industry.
And while SDDC’s name, mission, and operations have transformed to reflect its agile, responsive support to today’s Sol- diers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen, lessons learned tell us that much more needs to be accomplished to ensure that SDDC continues to provide unmatched expeditionary and sustained end-to-end deployment and distribution today and into the future.
This article is an abbreviated version of a 2011 SDDC white paper titled “SDDC: Meeting New Complex Missions and Adapt- ing for the Future.” The complete white paper is available on SDDC’s website at https://
www.sddc.army.mil/Who/SiteAssets/ Wolosz-White-Paper-FINAL_web.pdf.
COL STANLEY WOLOSZ is Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, U.S. Army Pacific Command. Previously he served as SDDC Chief of Staff. He holds a B.A. in political science from the College of the Holy Cross, an M.S. in business management from Troy State University, and an M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
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