Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Europe personnel joined forces with several European allies to support the United Nations mission in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. In the first movement under Operation Quick Lift, more than 600 pieces of rolling stock, 83 20-foot containers, and 1,703 pieces of breakbulk cargo were transported to Croatia aboard a Military Sealift Command vessel, the MV Cape Race, to support British and Dutch troops.
Personnel from MTMC Europe's 1325th Medium Port Command in Bremerhaven, Germany, provided vessel stow plans for British engineering equipment arriving at the port in Emden, Germany, by convoy from British bases in Germany. After the equipment was loaded, the roll-on-roll-off ship sailed for Marchwood Military Port in Southampton, England, in July 1995, where personnel assigned to MTMC Europe's 1320th Medium Port Command in Felixstowe, England, loaded additional equipment for shipment to Croatia.
The two designated ports of debarkation in Croatia were the Port of Split and the Port of Ploce. When the Cape Race sailed for Croatia, a documentation team provided by MTMC Europe was on board with the equipment. Team members installed computers, printers, and modems in the radio operator's room on board ship to accommodate the worldwide port system (WPS) carry-away computer. While en route, the documentation team prepared an advance manifest for the loaded equipment using the portable carry-away computer system. They used an international maritime satellite terminal to communicate with the host WPS in Felixstowe.
"It was the first time a WPS office was set up on board a ship," said Lieutenant Colonel Peter H. Passchier, deputy commander, MTMC Europe. "The system worked well on board and at sea. Operation Quick Lift provided us an excellent opportunity to lay the groundwork on how U.S. and British armies can interact for joint operations in the future."
"The logistics support [provided by MTMC Europe] helped move essential United Nations reaction force personnel and equipment rapidly, and [the operation] was nearly flawlessly executed in just over a month," said General John M. Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Operation Quick Lift was a clear indication of our leadership and resolve to support the United Nations mission.…"
Corenthia V. Libby is a public affairs specialist at Headquarters, Military Traffic Management Command, in Falls Church, Virginia. She has a bachelor's degree from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and attended the Army Advanced Public Affairs Course.