COB ADDER — As U.S. forces prepare for one of the biggest logistical challenges since the Vietnam War, military planners continue examining the best ways to move the mountains of equipment accumulated here since 2003.

During a recent conference at Joint Base Balad, senior logisticians traveled from around the world to discuss the ongoing drawdown of forces and equipment here and the repositioning of assets to Afghanistan.

One of the key issues addressed was the shipping containers scattered around the country, and the thousands more Coalition forces would need for drawdown operations.

Enter the 368th Seaport Operations Detachment, which manages the Empty Control Collection Point (ECCP) and the Transship Point Container Yard (TPCY) here.

"All containers leaving Iraq go through this yard," said 1st Lt. Jevon E. Taylor, the 368th SOD detachment commander. "To get the troops out of Iraq, you have to get the equipment out, and that includes getting the containers out."

According to a recent Army report, 31 million items must be moved; including 100,000 pieces of rolling stock and 34,000 tons of ammunition, with most being shipped out in steel shipping containers.

All empty shipping containers from across Iraq are collected at the ECCP here, where they're inspected for serviceability and then dispatched to requesting units.

Once shipping containers are filled, they're sent back to the TPCY before continuing to Kuwait for retrograde shipment to the United States. All of it is a part of the process for the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq, Taylor said.

"We would be wasting money having empty, leased containers lying around [Iraq], not being used," he said.

Each week the yard receives an average of 135 shipping containers, enough to fill 15 American football fields. The yard also ships out more than 100 containers to Kuwait each week.

"The goal is to get the containers that have been here for years, and are not needed, and move it out of Iraq [with retrograde equipment]," said Taylor. "The first month we were here, we doubled the amount of containers we downloaded off the trucks."

The 368th SOD also inspects all containers to determine if they are seaworthy, Taylor said. If repairs are needed, and if Mobile Repair Teams cannot fix the shipping container here, they're sent to the Container Repair Yard at Joint Base Balad.

The 53 Soldiers in the 368th SOD realize they are part of a bigger picture, said Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine A. Taylor, the 368th SOD senior noncommissioned officer. It’s not just about receiving, moving and shipping containers out of Iraq, it's about drawing down forces here, he said.

"What our unit is doing now will allow for a smoother transition when it comes to the final days of the withdrawal," Taylor said. "Basically, if we were not conducting this mission, it would make it very difficult to get the troops and equipment out of Iraq in a reasonable time. It's all about being prepared and thinking ahead.”