Joint service team accomplishes 'mission impossible'

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) board a bus at Camp Virginia, Kuwait. The buses then took them to an airfield to fly home after completing their mission in Iraq.  

05.16.2007

Courtesy Story

40th Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Houston F. White Jr.
Third Army/U.S. Army Central

KUWAIT— Responsible for the formidable task of coordinating the transportation of supplies, equipment and personnel throughout the Third Army/U.S. Army Central theater of operations, the members of the U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, commonly known as CDDOC, use a variety of methods to accomplish what has been half-jokingly referred to as "Mission Impossible."

Separated into subdivisions that link available land, sea and air assets with theater requirements, the operations center is adept at overcoming virtually any obstacle that presents itself, said Air Force Master Sgt. David Oates, airlift validator, CDDOC.

"Some of the problems we run into include not having the whole picture of what we want to do, and the weather factor plays into our operations," he added. In the first case we ask questions to get a clearer picture of what is going on, and since we can't change the weather, we simply have to adapt and overcome it by shuffling and reprioritizing our plans."

By fielding a joint military staff that uses the knowledge and specialized talents of each of the four major services, CDDOC is able to stay flexible and meet requirements, said Marine Lt. Col. James M. Blair, requirements chief, CDDOC.

"We have more than 50 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all serving joint assignments that possess a broad amount of experiences. They can be accessed as a resource in order for us to achieve a high level of fidelity in providing direct support to the warfighter on the front lines," said Blair, a native of Augusta, Ga.

Teamwork plays an integral part in making such a challenging mission happen, he added, noting that the CDDOC's cohesion is tied directly to the detailed training program each person receives throughout their tenure with the unit.

According to Lt. Col. Kevin LaFrance, Army senior sustainment officer, the diversity that exists within CDDOC is an advantage rather than a hindrance.

"I don't know if one service could do our mission alone," said the Satellite Beach, Fla., native. "Because we bring the expertise of each individual entity to the table, it creates a greater focus and efficiency, since all of the services working together gives them more of a stake in the process."

"Having such a vast pool of knowledge to draw from really gives you a better understanding and appreciation of the broad scope of operations we have going on," said Oates, a native of Buena Park, Calif.

Also at stake is the bottom line of the men and women who serve forward in war zones from Iraq to Afghanistan and rely on the unseen influence of CDDOC, so it is not surprising that the personnel who contribute to the mission take pride in the results of their efforts.

"It's good to know that we are helping both the warfighter and the humanitarian missions that occur in this part of the world," said Oates. I feel a lot of personal satisfaction knowing that we not only deliver supplies and equipment to the guys on the battlefield, but we are also sending personnel back home to their families on [rest and relaxation] flights."

Whether handling the routine passage of personnel in and out of theater or the more complex undertaking of a major force rotation, the CDDOC mission remains the same, Blair said.

"Our job is to develop a transport plan for the customer with minimal delays, so in a way, CDDOC is sort of like a travel agent," he said. "We'll book you door-to-door and get you where you need to go. It's a 'mission impossible,' but we do it every day."

• Date Taken: 05.16.2007
• Date Posted: 05.16.2007 11:14
• Story ID: 10413