1. Military Logistics
A branch of modern logistics.
Logistics activities used to meet the needs of the military in peacetime and wartime.
It is the entire process in which military materials go through collection, transportation, packaging, processing, warehousing, supply, etc., and finally reach the troops and are consumed.
It has several characteristics:
Objective: to ensure the success of military operations.
This is obviously different from local logistics which aims at cost or service level;
The particularity of the types of items: mainly including weapons and equipment, ammunition, medical equipment, military daily necessities, etc. .
Confidentiality and effectiveness of logistics activities.
In most cases, the military uses its own transportation and storage equipment to complete logistics activities at military airports, docks, and stations.
The role of military logistics:
①. Support and guarantee for military operations.
②. Absorption and transformation of the national economy.
③. Promoting the national economic construction.
U.S. military military logistics development trends:
① Implement speed management and optimize logistics processes.
② Develop logistics equipment and improve delivery capabilities.
③. Consolidate the information foundation and make logistics visible.
④. Strengthen base construction and improve logistics network.
⑤ Promote military-civilian cooperation and achieve military-civilian integration.
2. Gulf War
On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, overthrew the Kuwaiti Communist Party and announced the annexation of Kuwait.
After obtaining authorization from the United Nations, the multinational force headed by the United States began to launch military attacks against the Iraqi army in Kuwait and Iraq on January 16, 1991.
From January 17 to February 28, 1991, the multinational coalition led by the United States, authorized by the United Nations Security Council, launched a local war against Iraq in order to restore the territorial integrity of Kuwait. The main battles included 42 days of fighting. airstrikes and a 100-hour land battle on the borders of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The multinational force achieved a decisive victory at a relatively small cost and severely damaged the Iraqi army.
Iraq finally accepted UN Resolution 660 and withdrew its troops from Kuwait.
US military logistics during the war:
1. According to the mainstream view of modern logistics, the formation of modern logistics originated from the logistics supply of US military supplies during the "World War II" period.
Modern logistics has experienced three discoveries of logistics value.
(1) Ford in 1913 - the first discovery of the value of logistics
(2) World War II - logistics - the second discovery of the value of logistics< /p>
(3) E-commerce has triggered a logistics boom - the third discovery of logistics value
Since the transportation and storage environment of military equipment is usually the worst and uncertain, The U.S. military's discovery of the value of logistics and the construction of a logistics system since World War II is undoubtedly a powerful revolution in modern logistics.
The extensive application of military high technology in World War II made significant changes in World War II compared to previous wars, in terms of combat time and space, weapons and equipment, combat methods and methods, as well as logistical support and military logistics concepts. change.
Before World War II, military logistics mainly focused on the two major functions of warehousing and transportation. However, scientific and mature modern military logistics was truly formed during the military logistics practice during World War II.
During World War II, the U.S. military used operations research methods to conduct research, successfully solved many thorny problems in the supply of military supplies, and formed a relatively complete theory.
Around the 1970s, Japanese scholars intuitively called it "logistics", and subsequently it became one of the foundations and important components of economic activities.
2. U.S. military logistics in the Gulf War
Some people have made statistics. Since World War II, on average, a large-scale local war will break out around the world in less than five years.
The Gulf War that broke out in 1991 is a very distinctive representative of modern local wars.
In this war, the US military made full use of its advanced technology to quickly achieve its war goals in just 42 days, and the ground war lasted less than 100 hours.
From the perspective of modern military logistics, the U.S. military mobilized 554,000 troops during the Gulf War. In order to ensure the troops’ clothing, food, housing, transportation, and warfare, the U.S. military spent about five months During this time, more than 7.7 million tons of various materials were transported from the mainland and European military bases to the Gulf region, which is equivalent to moving a medium-sized city from the Midwestern United States to the desert of the Middle East.
The Gulf Theater is very far away from the mainland of the United States, with a sea distance of 17,000 kilometers and an air distance of 11,000 kilometers. It requires a large amount of transportation power to complete large-scale logistics tasks in a timely manner.
During the Gulf War, the US military transported an average of 4,200 tons of supplies per day, and the logistics timeliness was unprecedentedly high.
In addition, due to the use of a large number of high-tech weapons and equipment in the Gulf War, complex weapon systems have greatly increased the variety of various supporting materials.
According to statistics, the U.S. Army’s Defense Logistics Agency alone provides 2.26 million items of supplies.
The large number of material varieties adds difficulty to the logistics process and makes the logistics links more complex.
Throughout the Gulf War, the US military not only won a modern high-tech local war, but also successfully directed a highly difficult transnational military logistics.
3. Characteristics of US military logistics
3.1 Strong military sea and air transportation capabilities.
The US military has always attached great importance to the development of military sea and air transport capabilities.
For example: in the construction of military shipping ships, the US military clearly requires that shipping ships have fast single speeds, large single ship tonnage, comprehensive supply capabilities, strong self-defense capabilities, and helicopter platforms; in the construction of military transport aircraft In terms of requirements, it requires large load capacity, strong reliability, and the ability to take off and land on the recommended runway, etc.
As of the outbreak of the Gulf War, the US military had more than 1,900 military shipping vessels, with a total tonnage of 46 million tons; the US military had 13 transport aircraft wings, including 110 C-5 " Galaxy" transport aircraft, 234 C-141 "Star" transport aircraft and 460 C-130 "Hercules" transport aircraft, with a total carrying capacity of more than 37,700 tons.
The U.S. military not only has strong sea and air transportation capabilities, but also has a high level of combat readiness.
The integrity rate of military shipping vessels and airlift aircraft remains above 90%, and the on-going rate and dispatch rate reach above 80%.
At the same time, the U.S. military has also built facilities and equipment that match its military sea and air transport forces, such as docks and airports, hoisting and handling tools, etc., so that it can act immediately upon an order.
3.2 Multi-level configuration of military logistics network.
As early as World War II, the U.S. military occupied a large number of military bases overseas to store military supplies.
After the war, these military bases have been greatly expanded, increased and adjusted, and gradually formed a system that is consistent with the strategic direction of the US military, with local bases as the core, overseas intermediate bases as bridges, and theater bases as the frontier. , a military logistics network that combines points and lines with multi-level configuration.
In this war, the domestic bases on the east and west coasts of the United States were the main supply sources of combat materials for the US military; overseas military bases in Guam, the Philippines, Diego Garcia, Ramstein in Germany and other places The base is basically responsible for the logistics transfer task of this war; the forward bases in neighboring Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Turkey, and Cyprus constitute forward material supply points that directly support theater combat operations.
This military logistics network that combines dots and lines played an important strategic supporting role in the US military's victory in the Gulf War.
It is precisely because of its complete military logistics network that the U.S. military is able to store a large amount of military supplies and continuously transport these supplies from the United States or Europe to the distant Gulf front, meeting the needs of the U.S. military in a timely manner. combat needs.
3.3 Advanced military logistics equipment and information platform
The US military is also at the forefront in the development and application of military logistics technology. Barcode technology and barcode technology have begun to be widely used in the logistics industry. Technologies such as radio frequency identification technology, electronic data interchange (EDI), global positioning system, geographic information system, and satellite communication technology originated from the military logistics practice of the US military.
In the process of developing modern military logistics, the U.S. military has widely adopted the method of building information platforms, using computer information networks to link all aspects of logistics operations, and "seamlessly link" the logistics and distribution physical networks and information networks. ".
In the early 1990s, the US military began the construction of "logistics outlets".
Institutionally, one department will unify the transportation, supply, maintenance and other support functions that were decentralized in several departments in the past.
This department can use battlefield command communication channels to understand the situation of combat troops and master necessary command information, so it can accurately predict and even allocate required supplies on the battlefield in advance.
In the Gulf War, the U.S. military invested almost all high-tech weapons and equipment except nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. In order to ensure that these high-tech weapons and equipment can fully play their role in the war, the U.S. military also invested a large amount of Modern military logistics equipment.
These logistics equipment include: C-5 transport aircraft with a load capacity of up to 120 tons, C-141 transport aircraft for fast transportation tasks, C-130 transport aircraft with lower requirements for runway conditions; UH-60 more Purpose helicopters, CH-47 transport helicopters and CH-53 transport helicopters provide convenience for forward transportation; KC-10A and KC-135 aerial tankers play the role of aerial oil depots.
In the process of ground transportation, the U.S. military widely uses the M988 series of high-speed mobile multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, the M939 series of medium transport vehicles and the M977 series of heavy transport vehicles.
Particularly worth mentioning is the US military’s maritime equipment.
The U.S. military’s maritime equipment includes 13 maritime prepositioned ships, 12 floating base ships, and 8 fast sealift ships.
Among them, the offshore prepositioned ships have a displacement of 40,000-48,000 tons, a length of 205-250 meters, and a speed of more than 17 knots.
Each maritime prepositioned ship squadron (3-4 ships) can carry all the supplies required by a Marine Expeditionary Brigade of 17,000 people for 30 combat days.
The 12 floating base ships include: 2 oil tankers, 4 container ships, 2 general cargo ships, 2 ro-ro cargo ships, and 2 hospital ships.
These ships are usually anchored at the base of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and are loaded with equipment and supplies needed by the army and air force.
The eight fast shipping ships are modern large transport ships. They are called fast shipping ships because their top speed can reach 33 knots.
The fast sea transport ship is one of the largest ship types in the US Navy. It is 288 meters long, has a full load displacement of 55,000 tons, and has five cargo decks. The only aircraft carrier larger than it is.
Eight fast sea transport ships can carry the main equipment and supplies of one armored division or mechanized division.
These maritime equipment are not only effective means of transportation, but also floating warehouses on the sea, integrating storage and transportation.
Various types of equipment and materials on the ship are stored in an organized manner to prevent the lack of certain equipment and materials from affecting the overall combat effectiveness.
Because some of these maritime equipment are pre-positioned in advance, such as 13 offshore pre-positioned ships and 12 floating base ships; some use ro-ro technology, such as 8 maritime ships, although there are five floors It is a cargo deck, but various tanks and vehicles can be easily loaded and unloaded through the passages and slide rails, making it very convenient to load and unload.
This simplifies the intermediate links of logistics and speeds up the logistics process.
On August 7, 1990, the US President officially issued an order to dispatch troops. On August 15, the US military’s maritime prepositioning ship unloaded the first batch of equipment and materials at the Saudi port.
Even though each fast shipping ship has a displacement of 55,000 tons, the average time from receiving the order to being ready for sailing is no more than 7 days.
The speed is evident!
In order to enable the U.S. military's logistics activities to be implemented accurately and efficiently, the U.S. military also uses an advanced logistics information platform.
For example, the Military Maritime Administration uses the "Joint Deployment System (JDS)" to help regulate the maritime transportation process of logistics.
The system can be connected with other command systems through computers and satellite communication networks, thereby transporting materials required on the battlefield to designated locations at scheduled times.
Military Airlift Command used the Global Decision Support System (GDSS) to direct and coordinate airlift during Operation Desert Shield. The system tracked and directed approximately 10,500 transport aircraft sorties, transporting approximately 415,000 troops and 395,000 tons of military supplies.
Advanced military logistics equipment and information platforms have greatly improved the timeliness of U.S. military logistics and played a key role in enabling the U.S. military to quickly win the battlefield in the early stages of the war.
3.4 Perfect mobilization mechanism.
The US military believes that mobilizing and organizing civilian forces to support the army is an important factor in improving the effectiveness of military logistics.
In order to ensure that civilian forces can be fully utilized to collaboratively complete military logistics tasks during wartime, the US military has continuously strengthened the construction of a military-civilian integrated logistics system and gradually formed a relatively complete mobilization mechanism.
Their main approaches are:
(1) Improve the mobilization mechanism.
These mobilization agencies include the "Emergency Mobilization and Preparedness Committee", which was established under the White House National Security Council and leads 12 inter-departmental working groups and is responsible for formulating national mobilization policies and mobilization procedures. , formulate and supervise the implementation of the national emergency mobilization plan, and coordinate actions among various departments; another mobilization agency is the "Federal Emergency Management Agency", which is the agency for national emergency mobilization, civil defense, and disaster relief, and operates in 10 There are offices in the administrative regions, which are mainly responsible for coordinating the mobilization plans of various national departments and the mobilization preparations of various states, and supervising the implementation of the mobilization work of all parties.
In addition, each department in *** also has a mobilization bureau (outside) to make specific arrangements for the department’s mobilization preparations, and to exchange liaisons with relevant units to collaborate and maintain close contact.
(2) Develop a thorough mobilization preparation plan.
In order to make mobilization preparations orderly, there is an overall plan for mobilization preparations at the national level.
The plan includes long-term plans such as strategic material reserves and emergency mobilization plans such as nationalizing some factories and collecting transportation vehicles during wartime. There are also specific mobilization plans that match the overall plan.
According to these mobilization plans, various departments and regions also have specific implementation plans.
(3) Established a systematic and complete set of war mobilization regulations.
This set of regulations includes basic military laws with a parent nature such as the National Security Law, the War Authority Act, and the National Emergency Law, as well as the National Defense Production Law, the National Security Materials Law, National Defense Facilities Law, Merchant Shipping Law and a series of specific relevant laws and regulations.
A sound mobilization mechanism, a thorough mobilization plan, and complete mobilization regulations have effectively promoted the preparations for mobilization in peacetime and ensured that efficient mobilization can be implemented quickly and efficiently in wartime.
In this Gulf War, the US military mobilized and requisitioned 106 merchant ships, accounting for 58% of the total number of transport ships dispatched by the US military, transporting 4.68 million tons of supplies to the Gulf region; more than 20 airlines and nearly 200 A large civilian transport aircraft participated in the "Desert Shield" airlift operation, flying 1,900 sorties, accounting for more than 20% of the total transport aircraft dispatched by the US military; railways and 2,660 train cars and 6,700 cargo trucks in 7 states were requisitioned to serve as US military equipment Transportation tasks of materials within the local area.
The transportation tasks of US military equipment and supplies within the domestic territory are basically completed by these civilian transportation forces.
What is concerning is that among the 106 merchant ships mobilized and requisitioned by the US military, 40 are foreign merchant ships. This shows that the US military's mobilization preparations are not limited to the country, but have also expanded abroad.
Due to the full mobilization and utilization of civilian and allied logistics resources, the logistics efficiency of the US military has been greatly improved in a short period of time, becoming a "multiplier" for winning the war.
Summary:
It is not difficult to see from the history of the development of the logistics industry that the practice of the US military in the field of military logistics transportation directly contributed to the formulation of the logistics concept and the maturity of logistics activities.
Through the smoke of the Gulf War, people have appreciated the huge guarantee that informatization provides to modern warfare.
Regardless of war times or peace times, we have actively planned and constructed a complete logistics network and widely used electronic information and communication technology.
These all have important reference significance for logistics management in the national economy.