52                          hUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN NORThERN IRAQ, 1991:

                         Concept of Operations

    Combined Task Force Provide Comfort's initial objective was to provide
immediate emergency relief to dislocated Kurdish civilians in northern Iraq and
southern Turkey. Although the situation quickly stabilized and refugee survival
needs were being met, it was obvious this intense effort could not continue
indefinitely. The new focus of the relief effort was to erect temporary facilities
in the lowlands so the displaced civilians could move-to a more accessible locale.
These lowland camps were organized to ease distribution problems, enhance
sanitation, increase Kurdish administrative participation, and facilitate turnover
of the relief effort to civilian control. Additional tasks were to develop new
temporary camps and to improve forward base habitability and accessibility.
    The supply support plan was initially based on delivery using prepackaged
supplies, referred to as a "push" system by logisticians. This was the best way
to move supplies forward in a hurry, but was neither the most efficient nor the
most responsive way to supply the camps. Loads had to be relatively small so
they could be delivered by air. They provided general materials, but did not meet
specific requests or individual needs. The effort was costly, time consuming, and
took a high toll on limited air assets. It was far ruore desirable to use a "pull"
system whereby supplies were delivered by truck or rail to a central point, then
redistributed according to requests by each camp administrator. Logistics goals
were to transition from MREs to fresh food, to move from airdrop to overland
delivery, and to change from "push" to "pull" logistics as quickly as possible.
The major drawbacks to adopting "pull" support were that it required a large
stock of supplies, a complex requisition and delivery system, and well-developed
camp infrastructures (roads, landing zones, staging areas, etc.). These requisites
were developing rapidly, but were not yet in place.
    A second force, Task Force Encourage Hope (later renamed Joint Task Force
Bravo), was formed to constI~ct a series of resettlement camps where dislocated
civilians could find food and shelter and a secure environment. Encourage Hope
was designed to integrate civilian relief agencies into the support, organization,
and administration of the camps. The Kurds were expected to assist in the
planning, construction, administration, and sustainment of these camps. The
camps each held about 25,000 people and were initially supplied by the military.
They eventually-became self-sustaining and were transferred to Kurdish or non-
government agency control as soon as possible. It was hoped that Joint Task
Force Encourage Hope could be dissolved after about a month.62

                           Additional Forces

    The increasing complexities of Operation Provide Comfort required ever-
increasing support. In addition to massive security and logistics efforts, three
other support areas were critical: civil affairs, psychological operations, and
civilian operations. Two U.S. Army civil affairs companies and a Marine civil
affairs detachment were dispatched to Turkey. The Marine detachment was from