Third Army CG details Iraq drawdown, Afghanistan buildup efforts

By Army Public AffairsMarch 30, 2010

Drawdown yard
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Thousands of vehicles and equipment that have returned from Iraq wait to be retro graded in a Third Army lot at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Not limited to rolling stock, the base receives hundreds of trailer-sized containers a week filled with everything f... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Drawdown cranes
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Port of Shuaiba receives and ships thousands of vehicles and pieces of equipment as part of the drawdown of Iraq and the buildup of Afghanistan. The port also receives hundreds of trailer-sized containers a week filled with everything from medical s... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Humvees
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Thousands of vehicles and equipment that have returned from Iraq wait to be retro graded in a Third Army lot at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Not limited to rolling stock, the base receives hundreds of trailer-sized containers a week filled with everything f... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Washington (April 2, 2010) -- Third Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. William G. Webster will provide a media update April 2, 2010, at 10:00 EST in the DoD Press Briefing Room. The topics addressed will be the Third Army's role in the responsible drawdown of Iraq, buildup in Afghanistan and the reset of our Army.

The Third Army's area of responsibility is an area of more than 4.5-million square miles or 1.5 times the size of the continental U.S. Encompassing 20 countries and four time zones, the area includes 42 ethnic groups speaking 60 languages.

To support the redistribution of forces from Iraq to Afghanistan, the Third Army is executing an impressive redeployment plan. Since May 2009, Third Army has begun to retrograde:

Aca,!Ac 2.8 million items of organizational and theater provided equipment

Aca,!Ac 88,000 shipping containers

Aca,!Ac 40,700 pieces of rolling stock

Aca,!Ac 85,000 U.S. Forces

Third Army has also moved 2,725 tons of ammunition and more than one million items including vehicles, repair parts; general supplies, barrier material, and packaged petroleum products from Iraq to Afghanistan since mid-2009.

The Third Army is actively coordinating with several agencies to ensure the right equipment is delivered to Afghanistan at the right time. Some of that equipment is coming from the United States and some will be sourced from Iraq as part of a responsible drawdown. Included are:

Aca,!Ac A 30,000 increase in U.S. Forces

Aca,!Ac 5,000 additional mine resistant vehicles

Aca,!Ac Three additional major distribution centers

Aca,!Ac A Door-to-Door program to move priority equipment from Iraq to Afghanistan

"This is an enormous task, unprecedented in modern military history," said Lt. Gen. William G. Webster, Commanding General, Third Army. "We have a well thought out plan and the synergy and cooperation of our many teams involved that will ensure we anticipate and are prepared to meet all requirements for U.S. CENTCOM and our Army."

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Lt. Gen. Webster press conference remarks