Delivering readiness to the warfighter and mission partners is critical to maintaining unit readiness for war and to fight tonight. Delivering readiness means providing classes of supply and other commodities in an expedient manner, and is an important theme and motto within the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC). SDDC's 840th Transportation Battalion focuses its efforts toward delivering readiness by enabling the flow of cargo through specified ports in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility.
As a forward deployed battalion of SDDC's 595th Transportation Brigade, the 840th Transportation Battalion operates military port terminals in the Middle East. The battalion's mission is vital in supporting theater distribution operations pertaining to deployment, redeployment, sustainment, ammunition, as well as joint and multinational exercises within USCENTCOM's area of responsibility. To increase its capabilities to accomplish its mission, the 840th Transportation Battalion relies in part on commercial carriers.
The battalion hosted a meeting Dec. 22 with representatives from numerous commercial shipping carriers. This Quarterly Carrier Engagement Meeting allowed members of the 840th Transportation Battalion to focus their efforts at "Delivering Readiness" in support of USCENTCOM's strategic and operational theater movement priorities with the commercial shipping carriers that support Department of Defense Transportation System movement requirements within USCENTCOM's area of responsibility.
The engagement meeting provided an outstanding opportunity for the 840th Transportation Battalion to maintain open lines of communication with commercial carrier representatives in order to maintain a shared understanding of changes and operational procedures on area Ports. Discussions during the engagement meeting focused on the following: Customs Clearance Procedures; review of dwell times for Import and Export Cargo Clearance; issues concerning submission of Custom forms and Bills of Lading; upcoming Customer Advisories; and the handling of Class I cargo.
"This engagement is vital for our mission and the 595th Brigade Commander's guidance and vision towards Delivering Readiness," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey E. Wagstaff, 840th Transportation Battalion Commander, "because we are always looking for ways to improve DOD Transportation operations and logistics efficiency with commercial carriers by creating a shared understanding on movement priorities."
During the engagement, carrier representatives and the 840th Battalion Operations section were able to determine an approach to reducing the timeline for customs documentation procedures and clearance for the movement of import cargo on and off the ports. The resulting timeline reduction in the movement of import cargo affords the carrier a quicker time to deliver goods to its DOD supported customers. These new procedures will be included in future Customer Advisories.
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