Container management fuels wartime mission

by Spc. Jason Adolphson
1st TSC PAO

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Troops in the 1st Theater Sustainment Command logistics team have recovered about $400,000 worth of equipment for wartime retrograde in the final phase of a container management cleanup project in Camp Arifjan.
The 1st TSC is responsible for more than 3,600, 8x20 and 8x40 foot, steel containers; some of which are filled with equipment left behind by military elements transitioning in and out of war since the invasion of Iraq.

The goal for “Operation Responsible Cleanup” is to create a clean slate for managing equipment during the drawdown of Iraq. “We are taking total accountability in the Kuwait AOR (area of responsibility) posture to support the drawdown from Iraq and redistribute (elsewhere),” said Maj. LaTonya Jordan, 1st TSC, deputy of logistics.

The ongoing cleanup is paying off. “After going through six containers we found 16 new chairs, and several medals and certificates for issuing awards,” Jordan said. “In some of the containers you’ll find a goldmine and other times it’s just garbage.”

The cleanup is in its third and final phase. “In phases one and two, we tasked (downtrace) units to identify the containers and then take ownership and responsibility for the containers and equipment,” Jordan said.

The extensive third phase is a joint effort with the Mobile Redistribution Team from Ballad, Iraq. The team of six Air Force personnel is in the process of going through 560 containers that remained unclaimed after phases one and two.

“We are recycling the use of equipment and it is saving the tax payers money,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Blake. “Part of the responsible drawdown is saving money and recouping funds back into the system. This keeps the government from reordering equipment that we can redistribute to build up other bases.”

The third phase is set for completion by the end of January. The crew says they don’t know the dollar amount of material they will recover, but expect it to be in the millions.