WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii -- In 2014 the 599th Transportation Brigade conducted its mission of deploying and distributing cargo throughout the Pacific while it adjusted to reassigned responsibilities and changing parameters.
During the calendar year, the unit made a total of 48,930 shipments, with 1,397,797 measurement tons imported and 27,825,188 exported. That is the equivalent to the weight of about 4,175 Aloha Stadiums, at 14 million pounds apiece.
In January the brigade's information management section received the Brigade Standard Communications Package from Headquarters, SDDC. The new BSCP incorporates important components of the Deployable Port Operations Center, which makes it more convenient to send with information technology specialists when they go on missions throughout the Pacific theater.
"The DPOC has been downsized," said information management team leader Valerie Van Vleet. "It used to provide for shelter and power. Now we have the BSCP, which is comprised of a package with the equipment we need to communicate in semi-remote locations that can provide shelter and power. We wouldn't request a DPOC now unless we had to deploy in support of a real contingency in a remote environment.
"This is a much smaller package, and the purpose is for us to deploy," Van Vleet added. "The great thing about the BSCP is that it is capable of deploying quickly to anywhere in the Pacific theater. A DPOC would normally take much longer by sea to get to anywhere in our area."
In April the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and 25th Combat Aviation deployed from Hawaii to National Training Center at Fort Irwin. During this move, the 599th found it needed to call on expertise from its battalions to help make sure unit tallies were correct and to coordinate with Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, the 599th's partner in Hawaii moves.
The brigade's battalions, which are located throughout the Pacific, now send deployment and distribution management teams (DDMTs) to Hawaii for big deployments.
During 2014, the 599th participated in or supported Pacific military exercises Key Resolve, Foal Eagle, Ulchi Freedom Guardian, Balikatan, Cobra Gold, Forager Fury, Valiant Shield, Garuda Shield, Keris Strike, and Orient Shield.
The biggest mission the 599th supported in the second half of 2014 was the new U.S. Army Pacific operation, Pacific Pathways, which is the Army's main effort to rebalance its forces to the Pacific through consolidating exercises under one umbrella.
Under Pacific Pathways, the main change for transportation is that cargo for different exercises within one pathway will move from place to place on the same ship, rather than different carriers for each move, as had been common in the past.
Exercises Garuda Shield, Keris Strike and Orient Shield were Pacific Pathways exercises in 2014. The Military Sealift Command chartered one vessel, the Clipper Makiri, to move all cargo for the 2014 portion of the operation.
"Our strategic role in the [Pacific Pathways] operation is threefold," said Col. Shannon Cox, 599th commander. "The 599th assisted in the initial planning and concept for Pacific Pathways with USARPAC (U.S. Army Pacific) and 8th Theater Sustainment Command.
"Second, in conjunction with SDDC headquarters, we coordinate with Military Sealift Command for vessel selection, and we conduct customer liaison," Cox continued. "Third, our DDMTs document cargo and perform single port manager functions during vessel upload and discharge."
The first Pacific Pathways move the brigade accomplished was from Barbers Point in July and August. This also gave the unit a chance to exercise its Hawaii stevedore and related terminal services contract for the first time.
Lt. Col. Joshua Vogel is the 599th's commander at the 836th Trans. Bn. on Yokohama North Dock, Japan. His DDMTs supported six Pacific Pathways moves during 2014.
Vogel said from his perspective, the most important change in DDMT operations for Pacific Pathways was offloading the same cargo they had earlier uploaded.
"The biggest difference for us is to have the same vessel and same equipment for both the upload and the discharge. Normally we load up, and that's the last we see of the cargo," said Vogel. "But in this operation, we have to work with what we do well, and what we have not done so well, on the other end. This provides a great means of process improvement for us."
Pacific Pathways operations will continue to be a major focus for the 599th throughout 2015.
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Photo 1 -- Members of the 599th Transportation Brigade's information management section
demonstrate the BSCP during a visit April 10.
Photo 2 -- Cranes lift off Strykers from the Matsonia at Honolulu's Pier 52 as part of the redeployment June 18 of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.
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