From Maj Mike Harris in the Middle East

Logistics support across a 15,000km supply chain is being successfully put to the test with Australian Special Forces on operations in Iraq as part of Op Falconer.

Mail’s in ... 300kg of mail arrives in the Middle East from Australia. Photo by Cpl Darren Hilder, 1JPAU(P)

OC Combat Service Support Group (CSSG) Maj Craig Donohue, said the loggies had worked hard to ensure the Task Group was prepared for all manner of contingencies.

“The conditions have been trying but the positive Aussie attitude has prevailed,” he said.

Maj Donohue said 77 people from nine different units across four states formed CSSG, making it a diverse and capable organisation.

The CSSG had the pivotal role of providing communications support, ordering stores, warehousing, managing freight distribution and providing resupply – predominantly through air-drop to forward troops.

“Op Bastille and now Falconer has concentrated on ensuring our personnel are well-equipped so that they can train hard and ensure they were well-prepared for any contingency that may have been asked of them.

“The effort to establish resupply and sustainment has also involved a number of diligent but behind-the-scenes people here in the Middle East, at the Joint Logistics Centre in Melbourne and throughout Australia.

“We want to thank them for their efforts in supporting our troops who are on operations.”

By the beginning of April, almost 90 tonnes of stores and supplies for the Task Force has been air freighted into the Middle East. 70 tonnes of this has been ammunition for the troops of SASR and 4RAR(Cdo).

CSSG had been able to request and receive stock from Defence warehouses within 10 days, giving the Task Group a quick turn-around on most orders.

Aside from supply, workshop mechanics had also been busy servicing the large number of patrol vehicles, trucks and other B-vehicles.

Workshops had logged more than 5000 hours of repairs and maintenance each month since arriving in the Middle East in December last year.

Air dispatch personnel were also involved. Riggers and dispatch specialists from 176 AD Sqn from RAAF Richmond had been working with their coalition colleagues, packaging and rigging cargo loads for air-drop.

Maj Donohue said the cooks had helped give a morale boost to the Task Group’s personnel by offering a cooked breakfast each morning.

In a boost to morale, the postie had delivered more than 1000kg of mail since deliveries began.

.