Posted on 08/02/2009 1:21:56 PM PDT by SandRat
COB ADDER — As U.S. forces prepare for one of the biggest logistical challenges since the Vietnam War, military planners continue examining the best ways to move the mountains of equipment accumulated here since 2003.
During a recent conference at Joint Base Balad, senior logisticians traveled from around the world to discuss the ongoing drawdown of forces and equipment here and the repositioning of assets to Afghanistan.
One of the key issues addressed was the shipping containers scattered around the country, and the thousands more Coalition forces would need for drawdown operations.
Enter the 368th Seaport Operations Detachment, which manages the Empty Control Collection Point (ECCP) and the Transship Point Container Yard (TPCY) here.
"All containers leaving Iraq go through this yard," said 1st Lt. Jevon E. Taylor, the 368th SOD detachment commander. "To get the troops out of Iraq, you have to get the equipment out, and that includes getting the containers out."
According to a recent Army report, 31 million items must be moved; including 100,000 pieces of rolling stock and 34,000 tons of ammunition, with most being shipped out in steel shipping containers.
All empty shipping containers from across Iraq are collected at the ECCP here, where they're inspected for serviceability and then dispatched to requesting units.
Once shipping containers are filled, they're sent back to the TPCY before continuing to Kuwait for retrograde shipment to the United States. All of it is a part of the process for the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq, Taylor said.
"We would be wasting money having empty, leased containers lying around [Iraq], not being used," he said.
Each week the yard receives an average of 135 shipping containers, enough to fill 15 American football fields. The yard also ships out more than 100 containers to Kuwait each week.
"The goal is to get the containers that have been here for years, and are not needed, and move it out of Iraq [with retrograde equipment]," said Taylor. "The first month we were here, we doubled the amount of containers we downloaded off the trucks."
The 368th SOD also inspects all containers to determine if they are seaworthy, Taylor said. If repairs are needed, and if Mobile Repair Teams cannot fix the shipping container here, they're sent to the Container Repair Yard at Joint Base Balad.
The 53 Soldiers in the 368th SOD realize they are part of a bigger picture, said Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine A. Taylor, the 368th SOD senior noncommissioned officer. It’s not just about receiving, moving and shipping containers out of Iraq, it's about drawing down forces here, he said.
"What our unit is doing now will allow for a smoother transition when it comes to the final days of the withdrawal," Taylor said. "Basically, if we were not conducting this mission, it would make it very difficult to get the troops and equipment out of Iraq in a reasonable time. It's all about being prepared and thinking ahead.”
“and 34,000 tons of ammunition,”
I’ll take some
Some of those items are being donated.
In some cases, it is cheaper to replace them than to ship them back.
That was the reason we gave the ISF 8,500 M1114s.
We were replacing this earlier version of the uparmored HMMWV with M1151/1152s. The earlier versions did not have a beefed up enough suspension.
Cheaper to give them away than to ship and junk them...
I still think we should donate older F16/F18s to Iraq and buy new birds for replacements. It would be a better stimulus program than what was passed. Think of all the jobs in the aviation industry....
“As U.S. forces prepare for one of the biggest logistical challenges since the Vietnam War, military planners continue examining the best ways to move the mountains of equipment accumulated here since 2003.”
I hear UPS needs the business. /s
I hope all of our guys can get out before chaos hits Iraq. The danger point will be when there are still a few guys left but not enough to stand off mass assaults. I give Iraq 6 months to a year before a Saddam Hussein type is back in power.
There are so many containers here in the U.S. that they are causing problems. The surplus stuff could be sold in place letting the buyer move it.
I'd guess you could fit about 100 containers into one 50 x 100 yard area.
Dude...It's simple mathemnomics...100 yards is 300 feet..a standard 20-foot shipping container would stretch 15 container lengths if placed end to end. 50 yards is 150 feet. With each container approximately 8 feet-6 inches wide...you could go 17 containers wide and still have a few feet left over. The total block stow would be 255 20-foot containers. And that would just be the first tier. Stack'em 2 high and that doubles the number to 510 containers in that same 50 X 100 yard area...
It took years of drawing down to get out of Bosnia. This will take longer.
Dude.
Also, I assumed 40’ containers.
Are you a betting man? We should start a pool!
Here's my entry: October 2, 2001, Iraq falls under complete control of Iran.
I say it either falls into the hands of Iran or a homegrown Iraqi Islamonut. Either way, the new gov't will be jihadist in nature. ...unlike Saddam's secular regime.
You mean October 2, 2010?
That ain't how it's done...but...it's your time and money...
Also, I assumed 40’ containers.
Too cute by half...Military containers are 20-footers. Sure, commercial containers also include 40-footers, but a row of 30 - 33 40-footers would stretch out to 1200 - 1320 feet or 400 - 440 yards. That's not the 50 yards X 100 yards that your original post indicated...but then again your latter contradicting assumptions are just too much. I'm most certainly glad I don't work for you and that you don't work for me.
No, put them the other way.
30 containers at 3 yards wide (9’ to allow clearance) are 90 yards. Three rows of 40’ will take up 120’ or 40 yards, fitting into the 50 yard width of the football field.
At any rate, no way will it take 15 football fields to accommodate 135 containers, especially not if you are using the 20’ long ones.
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