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833rd Transportation Battalion

The 833rd Transportation Battalion is responsible for overseeing the movement of military cargo and sustainment through commercial ports in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Battalion's primary customers are I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington. The Battalion's main office is located in Seattle, Washington and is the only continental United States-based CONUS Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) battalion not physically located at a port. As a result, the Battalion routinely uses the Deployment Distribution Support Team (DDST) model to operate from any port required within its area of responsibility, to include the designated strategic Port of Tacoma and the Ports of Olympia, Everett and Grays Harbor.

In 1997, as part of the transformation of the Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service (MTMTS) to the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC; which became the SDDC in 2004), the command's subordinate units were reflagged. This led to the formation of the 833rd Transportation Battalion, assigned to the 596th Transportation Group (Terminal).

On 23 July 2001 it was announced that the Army had approved a sweeping reorganization of the Military Traffic Management Command that would make fundamental changes in the organization's structure, staffing and operations. All the changes were to be in effect by 30 June 2003. Implementation of the proposal was complete by 30 September 2001. The 833rd Transportation Battalion was transferred from the 596th Transportation Group (Terminal) to what became the 597th Transportation Brigade as part of the transformation.

By the early 2000s, the mission of the 833rd Transportation Battalion was to synchronize Defense Transportation System surface cargo movements and provide Traffic Management and Single Port management for the Department of Defense in peace and crisis. The Battalion planned, coordinated and accomplish the expeditious and economical movement and documentation of Department of Defense sponsored cargo through terminals and facilities in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. It deployed/redeployed US forces as assigned by Commander, MTMC Deployment Support Command (DSC) and advised and assisted wartraced US Army Reserve units as assigned by Commander, MTMC DSC. The Battalion participated in Joint Chiefs of Staff exercises and was prepared to deploy military personnel and Emergency-Essential Civilians outside of the continental United States. The Battalion also provided command and control of the 597th Transportation Brigade's the Alaska Detachment. The Detachment was eventually transferred to the operational control of the 836th Transportation Battalion, part of the 599th Transportation Brigade.

During 2011, the 833rd Transportation Battalion supported the training rotation of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from Alaska to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California; provided mission command of the SDDC Augmentation Team for the BRAC realignment of the Maneuver Center of Excellence (Armor School) from Fort Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, Georgia.; and conducted multiple operations in support of port operations at both the 834th Transportation Battalion at Port Hueneme and Concord, California and the 842nd Transportation Battalion at Beaumont, Texas. During 2011, the 833rd Transportation Battalion also recertified to support US Transportation Command's (TRANSCOM) Joint Task Force - Port Opening Seaport of Debarkation (SPOD) with the 688th Transportation Detachment (RPOE) by deploying a Seaport Command Element to Norfolk, Virginia, and conducting the download of 676 pieces of equipment returning from the Joint Logistics Over the Shore African Lion exercise in Morocco.

For ammunition operations, the 833rd Transportation Battalion also supported the 596th Transportation Brigade at Naval Magazine, Indian Island, Washington during 2011. Annually, the 833rd Transportation Battalion oversaw the movement of resupply cargo to remote Alaskan sites by barge. This move was historically called Project Cool Barge and could only be conducted after the spring thaw and before the fall freeze. The movement of cargo required coordination between 9 different SPOE-SPOD combinations to and from Alaska, the mainland, as well as intrastate Alaska. This move provided the only opportunity for retrograde cargo to be shipped south from remote sites. The resupply of ammunition to Alaska was conducted twice a year. The first barge in the spring was supported by the 834th Transportation Battalion in Concord, California and the second barge was supported by the 833rd Transportation Battalion in the fall at Naval Magazine, Indian Island. In 2011, the northbound fall move to Valdez, Alaska, consisted of eighty 20-foot containers, measuring 2,560 measurement tons with a net explosive weight of 133,936 pounds.

The 833rd also supported the resupply of Pacific Theater Ammunition through the Joint Chiefs of Staff Exercise TURBO CADS 2011 at Naval Magazine, Indian Island and supported Army Materiel Command and the movement of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) ammunition cargo there. In 2011, the Battalion loaded one vessel with 146 pieces.

As of 2012, the 833rd Transportation Battalion staff consisted of about 30 individuals, including civilian employees, military personnel (Army and Navy), and a couple of contract employees.