SHARANA AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Just two weeks after the Dec. 29, 2010 transfer of authority from the 18th Movement Control Team, the 200th MCT, 313th Joint Movement Control Battalion, from Baltimore is making things move.
The 200th MCT runs ground operations at Sharana Air Field, in-gating host nation trucks and ensuring cargo is delivered to customers in a timely manner. The unit also oversees fixed-wing movement control operations, which entails moving personnel and cargo throughout theater.
“The first ten days has been very interesting and fast paced,” said 200th MCT commander 1st Lt. Deshawn Jemmott. “Our operations are constantly evolving and changing for the better.”
The greatest indicator of such improvement is the number of trucks now waiting outside Sharana for in-gating. Recent efforts to reduce congestion outside that gate and process the trucks for delivery have cut the number in half: fewer than 100 trucks now wait where more than 200 were once stacked alongside the road.
“No real surprises about the mission; I was well briefed on the situation I was walking into,” said Jemmott regarding the challenges. Her team, through coordination with other sustainment units at Sharana, is already making a difference.
“We are currently restructuring our ground operation with the assistance of the 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault], to increase through put,” said Jemmott. “We are still in the crawl phase of the planning, but meetings have been very productive, and we are headed in the right direction.”
The plans and trucks are moving in the right direction. Fewer trucks waiting outside the gate means fewer soldiers waiting for critical supplies. The 200th MCT brings a welcome change with them to Afghanistan.