ALEXANDRIA, Va., (USTCNS) --- The start of the New Year brings a new name to a veteran Army command.

The Military Traffic Management Command, a pivotal player for the past 30 years in surface movements for military contingency, peacekeeping and training operations, has been redesignated.

Effective Jan. 1, 2004, the organization's new name is the (Military) Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC).

The name change better reflects the command's new emphasis in deploying the force and its end-to-end distribution operations in ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Maj. Gen. Ann Dunwoody, Commanding General.

The name change follows closely on the U.S. Transportation Command being designated as the Defense Department's Joint Distribution Process Owner. The Surface Deployment and Distribution Command will be a key enabler of a new and improved joint distribution system envisioned by Transportation Command.

"Over time, we have literally outgrown our name," said Dunwoody. "Our new name change to the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command better represents our number one priority and renewed focus?to support the warfighter through deployment, sustainment and redeployment."

"Traffic management will continue to be a key component of what we do, but it is only one of the tools in our arsenal," said Dunwoody. "Our value to the warfighter resides in our ability to deliver capability and sustainment on time and ensure that we can provide timely, accurate in-transit visibility and total asset visibility of all surface equipment and supplies at all times."

"During Iraqi Freedom we moved more, faster and with less than ever before?delivering capability to the warfighter, on-time," said Dunwoody. "We changed and adapted our processes on the fly to meet the needs of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in the field."

To commemorate the name change, Gen. John Handy, Commander, Transportation Command will officiate at a formal ceremony Jan. 29 at the SDDC Operations Center, Fort Eustis, Va.

This is not the first name change since the Major Army Command was established in 1965 as the Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service. The change to Military Traffic Management Command in 1974 marked a transition in process in the post-Vietnam Era.