PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Coast Guardsmen in the Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment return from the unit's final deployment Monday at the Norfolk International Airport.
Since the RAID team's inception in 2003, the mission has been to assist Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command units assigned to U.S. Central Command with redeployment of containerized Department of Defense cargo and hazardous materials. The Coast Guard RAID team was created to ensure hazardous materials were properly prepared for shipment and re-entry into U.S. ports as part of the military redeployment process.
During peak operations the RAID team assessed an average of 300 U.S. government owned and leased containers a month. The large blue, grey and red metal boxes, faded by the sun and damaged by innumerable journeys overseas, must be physically and visually inspected to make sure they can complete the trip safely. The team reviewed documents with the container and verified the hazardous material being declared is properly labeled, and the quantities being shipped are within the limitations.