Defense logistics agency issue - KMI Media Group

Q: In terms of the equipment that came out of Iraq, how much is
still in Kuwait?
A: We started the big drawdown last year when the president [gave
orders on] October 21, and we were done by December 18—about 58
days. During that time, we’ve been clearing out all that gear. Our last
vehicle left on March 25, was loaded on the ship out of Kuwait and
headed back to the States. We just made a video news clip of it being
offloaded at the Port of Beaumont, Texas, and then transported to its
final destination—the 1st Cavalry Museum at Fort Hood.
Of the total pieces, we moved well over 4,900 pieces of rolling
stock, [which were] out of Kuwait in less than 100 days. We had
some very great systems in line from the Army Materiel Command
[AMC] and the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA], so we’re able to
account for the items here in theater. Everything that came out of
Iraq has been shipped to CONUS or incorporated into other stocks.
12 | MLF 6.5
The 1st Sustainment Command
(Theater) was a focal point
for the smooth retrograde of people
and equipment from Iraq. That
success and the lessons learned
are being used as a model for planning
the Afghanistan drawdown.
In the October 2011 issue of Military
Logistics Forum, we had the
chance to sit down with Major General
Kenneth Dowd and talk about
the elements of the command that
came together to get the job done.
As Dowd prepares to leave 1TSC
for his new job as the director of
logistics operations for the Defense
Logistics Agency, we wanted to do
an exit interview of sorts to see
where the command will go from
here and how his experiences have
prepared him for DLA.
Major General Kenneth S. Dowd is the commander
of the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater).
He was commissioned through the ROTC program
upon graduation from Cumberland College,
Williamsburg, Ky., in 1979. His military education
includes the Quartermaster Basic and Advanced
Course, Logistics Executive Development Course,
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Armed Forces Staff College
and the U.S. Army War College. In addition, he holds a master’s degree
in logistics management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Dowd has served in numerous command and staff positions throughout
his career. His assignments include: commander, 299th Forward Support
Battalion, Schweinfurt, Germany (with operational deployment to
Bosnia); chief, Logistics Operation Center, and DA DCSLOG, Washington,
D.C.; commander of the 1st Armored Division Support Command (with
combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom); assistant
deputy chief of staff for logistics, U.S. Army Europe, and the executive
officer to the Army G4; director of logistics, engineering and security assistance,
U.S. Pacific Command, Camp Smith, Hawaii; director for logistics,
U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., where he directed all
logistics and engineering planning and operations in support of Operations
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. While there, he led the development
and planning for the significant and historical logistics efforts that
the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater).
Dowd’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service
Medal, Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Defense Meritorious
Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters,
Army Commendation Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army
Achievement medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.
The job has been completed. As you know, during the first Gulf War, all
that accounting was done back in CONUS, so pushing this capability
forward allowed us greater efficiency and effectiveness in retrograding,
redeploying or reposturing all U.S. property and equipment here.
Q: Geography is the biggest obvious difference between retrograde
from Afghanistan versus that in Iraq. That being said, how will the
system processes that were so successful coming out of Iraq and
Kuwait work in the Afghanistan scenario?
A: We had a couple of ROC [rehearsal of concept] drills earlier this
spring in which we highlighted the requirements for this drawdown
effort and were able to take lessons learned and apply them
to Afghanistan. As you know, Afghanistan is landlocked, and the
PAKGLOC [Pakistan ground lines of communications] is closed right
now.
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