▁log istics ▁and ▁construction ▁activities ▁were ▁coordin ated ▁by ▁task ▁force ▁engineer ▁staff s . ▁These ▁were ▁often ▁hast ily ▁assemble d ▁and ▁had ▁not ▁always ▁been ▁able ▁to ▁meet ▁the ▁dem ands ▁im posed ▁by ▁base ▁development ▁in ▁such ▁a ▁challeng ing ▁the ater ▁of ▁operations . ▁The ▁scale ▁of ▁operations ▁in ▁the ▁Philippines ▁was ▁much ▁greater , ▁so ▁for ▁this ▁purpose ▁the ▁Army ▁Service ▁Command ▁( AS COM ) ▁was ▁formed ▁in ▁Br is b ane ▁on ▁ 2 3 ▁July ▁ 1 9 4 4 . ▁Case y ▁was ▁appointed ▁to ▁command ▁AS COM . ▁In ▁his ▁absence , ▁Sver d rup ▁became ▁Mac Ar thur ' s ▁chief ▁engineer . ▁Although ▁part ▁of ▁US AS OS , ▁AS COM ▁operated ▁under ▁the ▁control ▁of ▁Six th ▁Army , ▁moving ▁as ▁far ▁forward ▁as ▁combat ▁operations ▁allowed , ▁developed ▁new ▁bases , ▁and ▁operated ▁them ▁until ▁US AS OS ▁was ▁ready ▁to ▁take ▁over , ▁at ▁which ▁point ▁the ▁units ▁under ▁AS COM ▁simply ▁revert ed ▁to ▁US AS OS , ▁allowing ▁a ▁se am less ▁transfer ▁of ▁command . ▁For ▁the ▁Battle ▁of ▁Ley te ▁Case y ' s ▁AS COM ▁had ▁ 4 3 , 0 0 0 ▁men , ▁of ▁whom ▁ 2 1 , 0 0 0 ▁were ▁engine ers . ▁ ▁Case y ▁and ▁some ▁members ▁of ▁his ▁staff ▁came ▁ash ore ▁on ▁A - Day ; ▁the ▁advance ▁e ch el on ▁of ▁his ▁AS COM ▁headquarters ▁arrived ▁two ▁days ▁later . ▁Work ▁began