Supporting the First Stryker Brigade in Iraq - Army Logistics ...

‘The Surge’
Between February and April 2004, an Army-Navy
task force, Task Force 385, supervised the
movement of equipment through the port of Ash
Shuaiba, Kuwait, during the transition from
Operation Iraqi Freedom I to Operation Iraqi Freedom
II. This transition, called “the surge,” generated the
largest, most rapid movement of military equipment in
modern history. The Army component of the task force
was the 385th Transportation Battalion, an Army
Reserve unit from Tacoma, Washington. The Navy
component was Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support
Force (NAVELSF) Forward Alpha, which was made up
of Navy Reservists from Arizona, California, Florida,
Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia.
Task Force 385 was the first Army-Navy task force
to be formed at the tactical level. The organizations
that were involved had to quickly overcome differences
in military culture and language in order to work
together. One of the challenges faced by the task force
was the fact that the Navy personnel were working
with Army equipment. To address this situation,
NAVELSF personnel trained on Army equipment at
Fort Eustis, Virginia, before deploying to Kuwait.
Task force leaders, soldiers, and sailors often worked
12- to 16-hour days to marshal, stage, and load vessels.
At the peak of the surge, four large, medium-speed,
roll-on-roll-off vessels and one fast sealift ship were
berthed at the same time. This was the first time in
history that so many vessels of those types were in the
same port at the same time.
During the surge, Task Force 385 managed the
movement of 211,000 pieces of equipment through the
port. The task force loaded 37 of the 95 vessels that
berthed there. By the end of the surge, the task force
had moved 8 of 10 Army divisions, 4 coalition
brigades, and 1 Marine expeditionary force.
Individual initiative and commitment were the keys
to Task Force 385’s success. ALOG
THE ARMY LOGISTICIAN STAFF THANKS FIRST LIEUTENANT
BRIAN H. YOUNG AND CAPTAIN ELIZABETH D’AMBROSIA
OF THE 385TH TRANSPORTATION BATTALION IN TACOMA,
WASHINGTON, FOR PROVIDING THE INFORMATION AND
PHOTOS FOR THIS ARTICLE.
22
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2005