Wheels of change are in motion: SDDC's reserve component.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody has put the wheels in motion for change in the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's reserve component. An October 2005 memorandum addressed SDDC's future capability and defined objectives for its reorganization.

"The key to SDDC Reserve reorganization success is structuring its reserve component to mirror that of the active-duty component," according Col. Bob Askey, SDDC director of Readiness and Mobilization, Fort Eustis. "That's why the SDDC concept plan proposes transforming its Army Reserve terminal group and battalion organizations, whose Tables of Distribution Allowances (TDA) organizations date back to the end of the Cold War, into modern, modular organizations."

Force Structure Officer Lt. Col. Jim Powell said transforming existing Army Reserve O-6 and O-5 commands into new design TDA groups and battalions will enhance the organization in several ways.

"First, the plan will develop terminal organizations which can operate seaports and, operational tempo permitting, transition to long-term terminal management using civilian and contractor capability," Powell said.

In addition, Powell explained that the plan will support a seamless, end-to-end standard terminal supervision and management capability; better support deployments from continental United States and outside the continental U.S. posts, camps, and stations; and provide the groups and battalions with reach capability to SDDC headquarters in order to leverage civilian and contractor capabilities.

The new design group will be a TDA headquarters unit focused on commanding, controlling, and technically supervising assigned and attached battalions engaged in terminal, watercraft, rail, movement control, and deployment/distribution support operations.

The new design battalion will be a TDA headquarters unit focused on terminal management and supervision using its Terminal Management Teams, and on deployment support using its Deployment and Distribution Support Teams.

"The implementation of the new structure will mean that deployment supervising responsibility is spread evenly across the board," said Askey.

In addition, a battalion will be able to supervise civilians and contractors in water terminals and command, control, and technically supervise Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) subordinate units performing terminal, watercraft, rail, and movement control operations.

The present SDDC TDA includes six Terminal Brigade/ Groups, six Terminal Battalions, four Deployment Support Brigades and 33 MTOE Terminal Teams.

"SDDC's current Army Reserve brigades and battalions are reasonably standardized but their Active Component counterparts are a mix of sizes and shapes." said Joe Fortner, a G7 force structure contractor. "We are working to reorganize all of them into standardized designs."

Fortner explained that the Reserve reorganization concept plan end state proposes a Deployment Support Command, four Transportation Groups, 12 Deployment and Distribution Support Battalions, 12 Terminal Management Teams and 36 Deployment and Distribution Support Teams.

"The intent of this reserve reorganization is to achieve standardized group, battalion, and team TDAs which provide a bridge to future Table of Organization and Equipment designs." Fortner said, adding this will make SDDC much more deployable and expeditionary.

Powell said the Chief, Army Reserve, endorsed and forwarded the concept plan to Headquarters Department of the Army in February 2007. The DA G3 is currently staffing the plan throughout the department.

by Jennifer Sanders

SDDC Headquarters, Fort Eustis