Photo By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Bryson | U.S. Army majors Kathleen Reimann and Gisselda Nava receive guidance from Colonel...... read more read more
FORT EUSTIS, Virginia — During July and August 2025, the 597th Transportation Brigade, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), focused on connectivity by conducting communications exercises locally and with the 842nd Transportation Battalion in Beaumont, Texas. The exercises, known as COMMEX, were designed to test platforms and systems for resilience against weather and other disruptions that could impact mission success at home and abroad.
Follow-on training will evaluate primary, alternate, contingency and emergency communications plans for the 841st Transportation Battalion in Charleston, S.C. The series will culminate later this year in a simulated expeditionary exercise using ship-to-shore communications at a commercial port.
Bret Bartee, communications and information systems team leader for the 597th Transportation Bde., said his team regularly conducts readiness drills as part of an ongoing command initiative to ensure uninterrupted command and control capabilities during global movements of troops and materiel.
Col. Edward K. Woo, Rapid Support Commander stressed the importance of safeguarding against threats to communication platforms so the team can conduct its surface transportation mission at scope, scale and need.
“It’s absolutely imperative to strengthen the resilience of our communications against any threat, whether it be cyber, electromagnetic, natural disaster, or digital,” said Woo. “[These] lead to contested ports– which generate congested ports.”
And that congestion can slow the delivery of force and sustainment to waiting troops and allies overseas.
U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), which leads globally integrated mobility operations and the broader Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise, places a high priority on communications systems that are ready, united and decisive. These systems rely on secure networks, continuous modernization and regular maintenance to maintain the technological edge required by the joint force.
In contested environments and areas vulnerable to severe weather, it is critical that air, land and sea shipments remain connected to each other and to the joint force. That connectivity must also extend to the commercial industry, often referred to as the fourth component, which plays a vital role in transporting and directing cargo at ports and aboard vessels.
Live testing of communications systems ensures there are no lapses in connectivity and that the Rapid Support team can continue its mission to project force and deliver essential sustainment to warfighters as they compete, engage and defend in an evolving global landscape.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2025 14:50 |
| Story ID: | 546819 |
| Location: | FORT EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | BEAUMONT, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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