SDDC.

836th Transportation Battalion

by LTC Colice Powell, CDR, CPT Valerie Manuel, former Operations Officer, and Mr. Carlos Tibbetts, Chief, Terminal Operations, 836th Transportation Battalion

SDDC recently made history when it deployed an Indonesian Mechanized Infantry Battalion Task Force from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Beirut, Lebanon. This is the first time a MTMC/SDDC element ever performed a port operation in Indonesia.

The United Nations (UN) brokered a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon on 14 August 2006 after a month of hostilities beginning on 12 July 2006. To enforce the ceasefire, the UN Security Council unanimously passed UN Resolution 1701, paragraph 11 of which authorized an increase of UN forces in Lebanon by 15,000 to assist the Lebanese Army police a demilitarized zone between Israel and Lebanon.

The UN asked its members for military personnel and equipment to support the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Indonesia offered a Mechanized Infantry Battalion Task Force of 900 personnel, equipment, and humanitarian supplies.

The UN then asked the US for assistance in response to an offer made by the Department of State to "provide transportation for one Indonesian mechanized infantry battalion ... as part of the first phase of deployment to the enhanced UNIFIL." In mid-October, the US Government approved support and passed the mission through PACOM to USARPAC who in turn came to SDDC to execute the mission.

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An advance party (ADVON) consisting of LTC Colice Powell and Mr. Carlos Tibbetts, Commander and Terminal Operations Chief, respectively, of 836th Transportation Battalion, flew to Jakarta on 19 October 2006. The next day they met with Defense Attache, Colonel Kevin Richards, and Defense Naval Attache, Captain Norman Laws, at the US Embassy. They then journeyed with the Defense Attache to an Indonesian Army Base at Bogor, just south of Jakarta. There they made contact with the deploying Indonesian Army unit and verified the dimensions of deploying equipment.

SFC Joseph Palmer of the USARPAC G3 Force Protection Office arrived in Jakarta on 21 October 2006 to handle all security issues, and MAJ Humberto Jones, also from USARPAC, arrived in Jakarta on 27 October 2006 rounding out the ADVON to provide contracting support.

The pace of coordination increased when MSC awarded the vessel charter to the SS WILSON, a bulk cargo vessel modified to handle break bulk cargo and containers, on a liner in/liner out basis. The ADVON dealt directly with the ship's agent, Wallem Sentosa, to coordinate stevedore contracting and vessel berthing. In addition, the DDST ADVON coordinated use of Hutchinson Whampoa's Jakarta International Container Terminal Terminal 2 (RO-RO) at Tanjung Priok in Jakarta to stage cargo, berth, and load the vessel.

The DDST main body of six personnel arrived from Japan and Guam on 28 October 2006. On 29 October 2006, two AMC air load planners, TSgts Duffey and Howell, arrived from Elmendorf AFB to handle airlift of the Indonesian Army ADVON of 125 PAX and 13 pieces of cargo. Leonard Bell and Ed Baxter from MSC's SEALOGFE HQ in Singapore arrived to coordinate vessel operations making this mission truly "joint," with all of USTRANSCOM's component commands present and involved. The overall mission commander, COL Benigno Ruiz, 8th Theater Support Command G-3, arrived in Jakarta on 1 November 2006 for the execution phase of the operation.

Once on the ground, the main body prepared staging maps, documented cargo, updated the pre-stow plan, and set up an operations center at the port in two rented RV buses. The DDST did everything from advising Indonesian military personnel on preparing cargo for shipment to include inspecting secondary loads and the contents of containers; documenting all equipment (TCMDs); printing and affixing military shipping labels (MSL) to cargo; and generating/signing all HAZMAT certifications for both sealift (DD Forms 2890/2781) and airlift (IATA Forms 4).

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The SS WILSON arrived on 2 November 2006, and the team went into high gear. The team worked round the clock in two 12-hour shifts (1200-2400; 2400-1200) except two WPS-W and IM personnel who worked a swing shift from 0600-1800. Ship's gear lifted everything except containers aboard using cargo nets and belly bands as most vehicles and trailers were of commercial design, lacking lifting and tie-down shackles. Stowing cargo below decks required the use of time-consuming and elaborate chain tie-down arrangements because of a lack of tie-down points. There were tie-down points on the main deck and the use of a pier-side gantry crane expedited loading of 52 TEU containers, including three refrigerator containers containing perishable rations. With the lifting aboard of the last of 206 pieces at 1936 on 3 November 2006, vessel operations were over.

The atmosphere surrounding ship departure was one of celebration. The local media was present, and the Indonesian military displayed immense pride as they had prepared for this deployment since early September. With a band playing and friends and family waving, the ship departed Tanjung Priok on 4 November 2006 for a 9 to 12 month deployment in Lebanon.

After a detailed After Action Review with COL Ruiz, the mission commander, DDST members returned to home stations on 5 November 2006 extremely proud of a complex job well done.