By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
(Washington DC) Tanks, rockets, artillery and ammunition are all being fast-tracked to Ukraine by boat, convoy and perhaps even airplanes to Europe, an intense and dangerous task taken on by thousands of Army soldiers with the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, a key part of Army Europe.
The logistics, sustainment and maintenance required for this task are simply massive, and US Army soldiers are moving supplies with the clear, real recognition that equipment lines could be attacked or sabotaged anytime.
“Contested Logistics”
Maj. Gen. James Smith, the Commanding General of the 21 Theater Sustainment Command, said his soldiers are trained to be ready for what he called “contested logistics,” meaning the possibility of an attack, ambush or saboteur intent on targeting weapons shipments.
“We always have to keep the context of contested logistics in mind.. We move with the sense that supply lines could be affected and we take that into consideration,” Smith told reporters.
Specific modes of transportation and routes or navigational details regarding the shipments to Ukraine are naturally not available for security reasons, yet the transport of critical weapons and supplies requires extensive collaboration between the US Army and its European allies.
“Our job is to get it from the port of debarkation to wherever we are going to transit into Europe and Ukraine. This is an opportunity to work alongside our host nations and allies. Host nation support is helping us move munitions,” Smith said.
Logistical dynamics are quite often a largely unrecognized reality of war which, not surprisingly, can heavily influence or simply determine the outcome. Without weapons, ammunition and safe transport, it’s fair to say an Army can become almost useless and extremely vulnerable.
This is why supply lines are almost always targeted, and while Russia is not likely to want to begin a major conflict with NATO, soldiers are nonetheless working to remain vigilant about risks such as ambushes, bombs, incoming drones or munitions and perhaps even covert saboteurs. Perhaps Russia will want to attack incoming supplies yet somehow try to deny responsibility?
Clearly the US Army and its allies take this kind of possibility seriously, given the importance of force protection and the implications of the mission to arm Ukraine.
“Behind every mission there is a human that is making this happen such as US military or local nationals. There are thousands and thousands of people to load then move equipment to the final destination. This takes a lot of synchronized movement, supplies and maintenance,” Smith said.
Mission Scope
While much of the specifics are not available, there are some general nuances regularly discussed by Pentagon and Army leaders regarding mission scope such as ongoing training of Ukrainian fighters on Abrams and European tanks in Germany.
M777 artillery need to be maintained and continuously re-armed with 155mm ammunition. Warheads and spare parts are needed for the full range of anti-tank and anti-armor missions to include the Carl Gustaf, Javelin and NLAW missiles.
Larger systems such as HIMARS, GMLRS and Patriot missile batteries need to be maintained and often repaired with spare parts. One small missing part for an integrated weapons system can disrupt, disable or simply stop critical attacks and military operations. Given this, Smith’s unit is also tracking, maintaining and delivering necessary spare parts and supplies.
Heavy Armor
Much of the focus has been on the need and arrival of heavy armor such as the arriving Bradleys and incoming Abrams tanks, yet less visible but equally critical tactical vehicles have been arriving in larger numbers in recent months. This makes sense as Ukrainian forces will not be able to “retake” and “hold” previously occupied Russian territory without a solid, secure supply chain.
Soldiers, ammunition, medical supplies and simple necessities such as food need secure transport both within and near hostile areas subject to Russian attack.
Ukrainian counterattacks can truly result in reclaiming territory, only if supported sufficiently by a secure logistics chain. While less likely to generate headlines, this US Army Europe logistical effort is simply “essential” for Ukrainians to have any hope of protecting and reclaiming their country.
There is also an added advantage to these kinds of operations, which call US Army Europe’s 2015 cross-continental Dragoon Ride to mind, as they demonstrate deployability and mobility for US and allied forces and weapons.
Successful delivery of key platforms and weapons send a clear message to Russia the the US Army Europe, and its NATO allies, can move “mass” and essentially deploy massive amounts of ground war power across the continent when needed. Army leaders were clear that the intent of the very visible 2015 Dragoon Ride, which drove convoys across the continent with Strykers, infantry, tactical transportation trucks and some heavy weapons and equipment, was to send an unmistakable message to Russia the the Army and its NATO allies can quickly and successfully “deploy” to war from anywhere throughout Europe.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
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