text: Chapter 5
  3rd Corps Support Command and Large-scale combat operations
  in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
  On March 19, 2003, ground operations for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM began. The
  planning and coordination for sustainment operations, however, began well before that
  date. Advance elements of the 3rd Corps Support Command (COSCOM) led by BG
  Charles Fletcher arrived in Kuwait on January 10, 2003. 3rd COSCOM not only had to
  coordinate with V Corps, the lead invasion force under LTG William Wallace, but also
  with its upper echelon, the Combined Forces Land Component Commander and Third
  Army Commander, LTG David McKiernan, and the 377th TSC under MG David
  Kratzer.
  In the beginning, 3rd COSCOM had two corps support groups, the 7th and the 16th,
  and three separate battalions attached to it, totaling approximately 4,000 Soldiers. By
  the end of summer, it had quadrupled in size to approximately 17,000 soldiers in six
  corps support groups, five separate battalions, and a rear operations center. The
  personnel comprised an even split between Active Duty, Army Reserve, and National
  Guard components.
  The 3rd COSCOM crossed the berm on March 21st behind the 3rd Infantry Division
  (Mechanized), the main striking force. BG Fletcher utilized four command posts
  reaching from Camp Arifjan up to the forward, embedded division elements to operate
  sustainment activities. From March 21st to April 18th, 3rd COSCOM moved with V
  Corps for a total of 828 miles. On April 19, the lead elements of 3rd COSCOM and the
  24th Corps Support Group occupied the airbase near Balad, 45 miles north of
  Baghdad, and established Logistics Support Area – Anaconda. This became a primary
  sustainment hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom until American withdrawal from Iraq in
  December 2011. The establishment of the logistics support area signaled the change
  from offensive operations to defensive operations operating along a system of ground
  and air supply routes for American and allied forces in Iraq. 3rd COSCOM transferred
  responsibility to the 13th COSCOM on January 31, 2004.Logistics Planning
  Considerations
  5-39. The high tempo of large-scale combat operations will result in gaps and seams that create both
  opportunities and risks as enemy formations disintegrate or displace. The variety of possible situations arising
  during large-scale combat operations requires that sustainment operators establish a flexible and tailorable
  distribution system in support of tactical commanders.
  5-40. Distribution management, using all modes of transportation, is the method by which sustainment
  commanders and staffs move materiel and personnel from an originating point to the point of employment.
  The distribution system extends from ports of debarkation and supply points in the joint security area and
  extends to the forward line of troops. Distribution execution becomes ever more complex and threatened by
  enemy action as it moves from higher to lower echelons. Distribution planners must understand that
  retrograde of materiel, casualties, and human remains is a significant component of distribution and requires
  extensive planning and management. Well-developed distribution plans, synchronized across all warfighting
  functions and echelons with redundancy, are critical to ensure all units have the materiel and personnel
  needed for maximum capability. Figure 5-1 displays a graphic depiction of a distribution network.