October 19, 2006: This month, the Department of Defense is activating the first of three Joint Task Force-Port Opening (JTF-PO) units. Each of these has 55 army and 113 air force transportation, communications and logistics specialists. Their job is to go, on a few hours notice, to any airport in the world, determine what is needed to move U.S. troops and material in, and then start to make it happen. The JTF-PO equipment, which is substantial, requires about ten C-17 transports to move. The units will stay for 40-60 days, which will be enough time for the regular logistical operations to get going.
Three JTF-PO's are being set up in the next year so that one will always be ready to go, at a moments notice, and set up anywhere on the planet within 12 hours, and be operational with 24 hours. The other two JTF-PO will be training or allowing troops to go on vacation and such.
