War on terrorism tests logisticians' skills: conflict presented 'unique' demands, says chief of U.S. Army support command.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

The U.S. war on terrorism has tested the resourcefulness of Army logisticians, forcing them to improvise and to question the status quo, officials said.

The diversity of forces deployed for the war in Afghanistan and the difficulties in securing transportation routes have created unexpected hurdles and may lead to changes in the way the Army prepares and executes logistics support operations, said Maj. Gen. Wade H. McManus Jr., head of the U.S. Army Operations Support Command, in Rock Island, Ill.

The OSC's parent organization, the Army Materiel Command, is known for its expertise in logistics support and ability to supply forces in remote corners of the world.

But the war in Afghanistan has been like no other war in terms of "unique" logistics demands, McManus said in an interview.

More than six months into the conflict, there are questions as to whether the Army has the "right balance of people, authority and supplies" in the forward-operating bases, he said.

A case in point is AMC's logistics support element (LSE) in Kuwait, which supplies forces in Southwest Asia.

The commander of the LSE, Army Col. Ronald E. Beasley, said his organization would benefit from more "horizontal integration" within AMC, so that information--such as requests for supplies--is accessible from a single database. Beasley spoke via satellite from Kuwait during a conference of the Association of the U.S. Army.

He said that the current management structure often makes it difficult to track the arrival and departure of units and equipment from the theater.

McManus explained that Beasley's problems stem from the multiplicity of forces that AMC is supporting in this war. Traditionally, Army logisticians plan for an operation, based on having to supply equipment for a single type of force, such as heavy armor. The war on terrorism, however, has required that AMC support armored, light infantry and aviation units simultaneously. "Each requires some unique support," said McManus.

In this conflict, he said, "We are learning a great deal about planning for multiple forces."

Generally, said McManus. "When you think about employing forces across a region, there is more homogeneity." In the current war, "We are not employing standard force packages. They are tailored for specific missions," he said. "That's the piece we have to adjust to."

He shrugged off speculation that the Army was not ready to provide the logistics support for a war that came on short notice. "It's not that we were not ready to do our support job," said McManus. But the reality is that "the war on terrorism we are fighting today has forced us to look at tailored support structures--differently and more rapidly than we have in the past."

Afghanistan is a "new theater, (with] a new force structure, with new support concepts," said McManus. "There is a learning curve."

Much of the logistics support to forces in Afghanistan come from AMC's forward-deployed logistics center in Kuwait, commanded by Beasley. The pre-positioned stockpile there consists of two armored brigades and a variety of support equipment for the entire Southwest Asia theater. Specifically, two combat-maneuver battalions, one in Qatar and one in Kuwait, were responsible for logistics in Operation Enduring Freedom.

The U.S. military supply line to Northern Afghanistan spans from Dover, Del., to Germany, Turkey and, ultimately, the Karshi-Khanabad base, in Uzbekistan, which became the main logistics hub for Northern Afghanistan.

For Southern Afghanistan, the supply line starts in Norfolk, Va., and continues to Spain, Italy and Qatar, the main supply hub for Southern Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Maj. Stephen Wade, Army quartermaster, recently completed his tour as the commander of the Army's logistics operations in Uzbekistan. In his opinion, he said, logistics readiness could be improved if there were closer coordination between the LSE and the unit it must support. Preferably, they...