Focused support to the warfighter captured in Major Army Command name change.

Sweeping, fast-paced change has been center stage at the Military Traffic Management Command as the organization reorganized and refocused to meet the demands of the Global War on Terror and Operations Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom.

As a result, the command will be officially renamed the (Military) Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) effective Jan. 1, 2004.

The name change better reflects the command's critical role in deploying the force and its emphasis on end-to-end distribution operations in support of the warfighters, said Maj. Gen. Ann Dunwoody, Commanding General. The name change follows closely on the heels of U.S. Transportation Command being designated as the Defense Department's Joint Distribution Process Owner. That is no coincidence. The Surface Deployment and Distribution Command will be a key enabler of a new and improved joint distribution system envisioned by Transportation Command.

Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., with its Operations Center at Fort Eustis, Va., this Army Major Command and Army Component Command of the U.S. Transportation Command is responsible for the global, joint movement of combat units, sustainment cargo, service member household goods and privately owned vehicles.

"It's more than just a name change" said Dunwoody. "Over time, we have literally outgrown our name. Our new name change to the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command better represents our number one priority and renewed focus--to support the warfighter through deployment, sustainment and redeployment."

"Traffic management will continue to be a key component of what we do, but it is only one of the tools in our arsenal," said Dunwoody.

"Our value to the warfighter resides in our ability to deliver capability and sustainment on time and ensure that we can provide timely accurate in-transit visibility and total asset visibility of all surface equipment and supplies at all times."

"Our mission has evolved from traffic management to the fusion of supply and transportation--a logical extension from our Department of Defense shift from a supply-based logistics system to a distribution-based logistics process. We provide positive movement control from the source to the theater coordinating all aspects of the distribution and we will incorporate best practice supply chain management techniques."

This is not the first name change since the Major Army Command was established in 1965 as the Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service (MTMTS). The change to Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) in 1974 marked a transition in process in the post-Vietnam Era.

For military customers, the name change will better reflect the service and performance the command provides in its global operations. "Our restated mission is to provide global surface deployment command and control and distribution operations to meet National Security Objectives in war and peace."

In order to make the vision a reality, MTMC is focusing on organizational redesign, process and technological redesign and cultural changes.

"We have a full court press on all three fronts."

Part of the expanding role of the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command is to provide a single face to the field for all surface movement requirements.

"Rather than have customers send requirements to two U.S. Transportation Component Commands for surface lift, we worked hand-in-hand with our great partners at the Military Sealift Command to streamline the process and funnel all the requirements through SDDC," said Dunwoody.

"We worked with Military Sealift Command to determine whether our existing ocean liner contracts could meet the requirement or whether Military Sealift Command needed to charter or activate a vessel. All that background activity in reaching the best solution set would be transparent to the customer who now has one entity to hold accountable."

Multi-compo and multifunctional groups that fully integrate Reserve Component units into MTMC active duty units are being developed with the support of Lt. Gen. James Helmly, chief, U.S. Army Reserve, said Dunwoody

"This will allow us to expand or contract based on peacetime or contingency operational requirements," said Dunwoody. "The modular capabilities built into our groups will facilitate our ability to do so.

"During Iraqi Freedom we moved more, faster and with less than ever before delivering capability to the warfighter on-time. We changed and adapted our processes on the fly to meet the needs of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the field."

To commemorate the name change, the command will sponsor an official ceremony in the near future.

"The signs on our command centers and our 24 port terminal units around the world will reflect our new name," said Dunwoody. "What will be unchanged is the quality service and performance we provide to our customers, the warfighters and their families.