KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Soldiers from the 635th Transportation Detachment (Movement Control) begin the reset process after a 50-day deployment to Poland in support of exercise Anakonda 16.
The detachment's mission was to provide command of all movement control activities during AK 16 to include movement paperwork and tracking of all personnel and cargo that entered or exited Poland as part of the exercise.
The scope of the exercise allowed the detachment to execute and gain valuable experience on all nodes and aspects of transportation to include highway, rail, air and sea, as well as all the complications that come with each of those nodes when operating with multi-component and multinational forces in a foreign country.
The 635th worked closely with additional detachments, reserve, and active duty units including the 573rd Transportation Detachment, Fort Carson, Colorado, the 625th Transportation Detachment, Kansas and the 456th Transportation Detachment, Nebraska. Additional movement controllers came from the 386th Transportation Detachment, Italy, as well as the 7th Mission Support Command, already forward deployed in Poland as part of the support element for Atlantic Resolve- North.
As the central point for all U.S. forces ground movements for the exercise, the movement control element had several major functions to include, provide area support for NATO customs clearance for CONUS based units, and back up support for USAREUR units.
"This is the first time I have seen a unit so heavily involved in all four modes of transportation in a single exercise," said Sgt. 1st Class Nelson Rivas, 635th Transportation Detachment First Sergeant. "This is outstanding training and an excellent experience for all our movement controllers."
During the exercise, the movement controllers processed over 350 convoy requests with 130 transportation movement releases for military assets, with an additional 125 TMRs for civilian assets, executed movement control and route synchronization for an additional 196 large convoys, and movement control assistance for 31 air missions and 44 rail missions.
"We all learned a lot about the customs process and how to adapt and overcome the difficulties when working with so many different customs officers at so many different locations, all of which with varying degrees of exposure to the NATO customs forms," said Staff Sgt. Jason Arzt, a 635th Transportation Detachment Team Leader.
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