Content area
Full text
In September 2004, a 13th Corps Support Command (COSCOM) fragmentary order tasked the 167th Corps Support Group (CSG) to monitor the supplies being shipped from supply centers in northern Turkey to coalition forces in Iraq. The 167th CSG, a New Hampshire Army Reserve unit, deployed to the Ibrahim Khalil Customs Facility near the city of Zakho, Iraq, which is located at the Habur River border between Turkey and Iraq. On the Turkish side, the crossing is known as Habur Gate.
'Eyes on the Ground'
Border operations at the Ibrahim Khalil facility had been established during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 1, when the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was responsible for that area of operations. The 167th CSG arrived at the site shortly after Task Force Olympia, the land manager of the area, had moved its rear area operations center from the facility and reassigned the lieutenant colonel who had been in charge. This left a void in the senior leadership on the ground.
The 13th COSCOM commander had immediately tasked the 167th CSG to fill the void so that he would have "eyes on the ground" and eventually could assume ownership of the northern entry point for ground lines of communication. Before that time, the Task Force Olympia commander provided the officer in charge (OIC) at Ibrahim Khalil and the 13th COSCOM commander was responsible for movement control operations. So when the rear area operations center left, it was logical that the 13th COSCOM take responsibility for the OIC function as well. It was a perfect job for the CSG, which was already responsible for corps logistics in the northern third of Iraq.
Movement Control
Movement control of more than 200 trucks destined for coalition forces each day was a shared responsibility of the 167th CSG's 99th Movement Control Team (MCT) and a Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) MCT. Although both teams were responsible for movement control, each relied on the other to make the mission work.
The 99th MCT consisted of 12 Active Army Soldiers, and the KBR team consisted of 6 "expats" (expatriates) and 16 or so Iraqi workers. (Expats were KBR employees hired from all over the world. They typically held positions of greater authority than local hires.) Together, the two...