SDDC units go north to Alaska.

The Mission: Conduct redeployment port operations for the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT). Sounds simple enough. After all, this is what the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) does, day after day, around the world, right?

Absolutely! But in many ways this mission was definitely not business as usual.

This was the first mission for SDDC's Alaska Detachment under the command and control of the 599th Transportation Group in Hawaii, rather than the 597th at Fort Eustis, Va. The 836th Transportation Battalion in Yokohama, Japan provided the Deployment and Distribution Support Team (DDST) with assistance from personnel at the 599thTTG, the 833rd TTB in Seattle, and the 837th TTB in Pusan, Korea.

"There is a transition going on in terms of who has operational responsibility," said Lt. Col. Colice Powell, 836th TTB commander. "Last year the decision was made to transfer control of the Alaska Detachment from the 833rd TTB to the 599th group headquarters. The 836th Transportation Battalion now has operational control of the Alaska Detachment and oversight of SDDC's operations in Alaska."

This was a two-fold mission: In addition to working together to discharge the ship, SDDC also provided onward movement of the unit's equipment by rail and truck.

Approximately 800 pieces of cargo belonging to the 1st Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division (formerly the 172nd Stryker Brigade) and the 84th Engineer Battalion arrived in January on the USNS Shughart, a large medium speed roll-on roll-off vessel (LMSR). The Shughart is the first LMSR-class vessel to successfully make its way through the ice into the Port of Anchorage during the winter.

The 836th TTB planned the entire mission, from vessel off-load to staging the cargo, and onward movement of the equipment to Ft. Wainwright.

"In terms of military operations in Alaska, the size makes this one unique," said Powell. "This is the first move of this size of military cargo in Alaska in a very long time."

The climate also added to the uniqueness of this mission. Temperatures ranged between 0 and 20 degrees each day, with a lot of snowfall. The limited hours of daylight only added to the complexity of the operation.

"The cold causes things to take longer to do. You have to be extremely safety conscious because of the limited visibility and the fact that you have large vehicles operating on snow and ice," explained Powell.

The team of 21 SDDC personnel worked together extremely well, and the Port of Anchorage supported the mission, said Powell.

"We have gotten fantastic support from the Port of Anchorage," he said. "They have gone out of their way to provide us every possible manner of support to facilitate this mission. They have been phenomenal in their willingness to do anything necessary to make this mission happen safely and in a timely manner."

Michelle Cain

SDDC Headquarters, Alexandria