DOD Shipping Container Management
Instructor: Thomas Catchings, Global Container Management Division, SDDC
During Transportation Academy, held in conjunction with the 2021 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting, Mr. Thomas Catchings from SDDC’s Global Container Management Division spoke about a topic that, while not often at the forefront of transportation discussion, is a critical component: Container management. The discussion covered container use, roles, systems, requirements, processes, initiatives, and training, among other topics.
Container management is defined as the planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and executing the functions and responsibilities required to provide for positive and effective use of DOD and military-owned, -leased, or -controlled ISO containers. This includes functions and responsibilities of life cycle asset and operational management supporting the full spectrum of operations.
“At SDDC, the understanding is that we move cargo,” said Catchings. “A lot of times, you don’t realize how important the container is until you don’t have it, or it’s damaged, or you can’t find it-, or all those things that go along with asset management.”
Containers are essential to unit deployments for operations and exercise, ammunition supply/resupply, sustainment, redeployments, retrograde, foreign military sales, training, and prepositioning. However, the uses for containers extend well beyond simply transportation and storage. With modifications, containers are often changed into offices, shelters, or even things such as swimming pools. Accounting for these alternative uses is a challenge that comes with managing containers.
“If you have an ISO-configured container that’s in the flow, you want it to stay in the flow,” explained Catchings. “In order to do that, you have to understand the life-cycle management that goes along with it.”
Containers are assets. The management of these important assets contributes to readiness, ensures safety, provides property accountability, supports cost management and avoidance, and increases efficiency.