136                                      U.S. MAMNES IN ThE PERSIAN GULF, 19901991

Brigadier General Krulak commanded the 2d Force Service Support Group,
based in Camp i4eune, North Carolina, when Desert Shield began.      In Saudi
Arabia, this unit and the 1st Force Service Support Group pooled their resources
into a single logistical support effort.   General Krulak commanded the Direct
Support Command, which was responsible for the direct logistical suoport of
frontline units.

A War of Logistics

interview with Brigadier General Charles C. Knilak, USMC

U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, November 1991


Proceedings: when did you start-to crank things up for the move?

KruIak: In the fall of 1990, the word came down to prepare for a rotation of
forces in Saudi Arabia.  We would be relieving the 1st FSSG, which had begun
to arrive there in August and had stood up its headquarters early in September.
We began to run a series of command-post exercises, to simulate the laydown
of the 1st FSSG forces in Southwest Asia.     As I began to place my people on
the map, the way [Brigadier General] Jim Brabham had his situated on the
ground, I decided that if a rotation of forces was ordered, I'd try to take my
entire FSSG.   Jim had taken a slice of his headquarters from the 1st FSSG in
Camp Pendleton and placed it on top of two composited brigade service support
groups that had entered Saudi Arabia with the 7th and 1st Marine Expeditionary
Brigades.  He and his people were doing a superb job, but as we continued to
run our command-post exercises it became obvious that if we shifted to offensive
operations, we would need the more extensive command-and-control capability
of a full FSSG.  When the word came that we were going to reinforce the 1st
FSSG--and not replace it by rotation--I stuck to the same concept of going to
Southwest Asia with a full FSSG.
    Once we got there, we established ourselves as a Direct Support Command,
with the 1st FSSG assuming the general support role.    Jim Brabham, who was
senior to me, became the senior Marine logistician in country.     Just before
Christmas, Lieutenant General [Walter E.] Boomer directed me to locate a place
up north where we could start putting in a logistic support area, big enough to
support a division-sized breach of the Iraqi barriers and minefields along the
southern border of Kuwait.  I went north and found a place called Kibrit, about
50 kilometers inland from Al Mish'ab.      It was an old, abandoned runway--very
desolate. After I reported my find to General Boomer, he gave me the go-ahead
to set up a combat service support area, with seven days of ammo and supplies
to support the attack.   I sent up my big earth-moving equipment, and by 2
February 1991 Kibrit was ready to go.        It had a big fuel farm, the largest