US Forces in Poland

             As the United States continues to deal with the crisis in Ukraine, tensions with Russia have continued to rise. Recently the United States has deployed forces to Poland and throughout the Baltic for joint military training operations. The plan is for US Forces to remain until the end of 2014. In addition to ground forces, the United States is also in the process of sending several fighter planes in an air defense capability for the region. The United States will also be providing supplies to Ukraine as they recover.

            Since the beginning of the crisis, approximately 200 troops and several F-16s have been deployed to the region. While they are deployed in support of Poland and the defense of the region, these units will work to strengthen the ties between the two nations as well as conduct advanced joint operations and maneuvers. NATO resources, in the form of surveillance aircraft and troops, have also been deployed to the region. The USS Donald Cook has been sent to the Black Sea to assist in the operations as well. Canada is also sending aircraft to Poland to help protect their assets.

F-16s at Lask Air Base, Poland

 

            The ability of the United States to generate, transport, sustain, and redeploy forces to Poland and the Baltic Region is possible due to the immense support capabilities of the United States. The United States was able to quickly deploy forces and supplies to the Baltic Region and Poland due to their close proximity to the region from their bases in Italy and Germany. The ability of the United States to transport and rapidly deploy forces was also aided by their close proximity and friendless with many nations in the region.

            In order to sustain its Forces, the United States will be able to work with Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as they conduct their joint military operations. Currently the United States, NATO Forces, and international forces will be in the region through the end of 2014, where they will then redeploy back to their home bases. If other issues in the region should arise, the proximity of Poland to Ukraine will allow for a more rapid response from US Forces and NATO.

            The ability of the United States to rapidly deploy its forces in support of Poland and the Baltic region have and will help to build closer ties to the United States and hopefully discourage Russia from continuing operations in the area. As Russia continues to remain in Crimea and tensions rise, US Forces will be ready for their next mission, wherever that may be.

Future of Army Aviation could Reshape Resupply

Army Aviators met Tuesday, 6 May 2014 to talk about plans for a “Future Vertical Lift Aircraft” that is currently in the very early stages of development.  As the 1960’s Black Hawk, Apache, and Chinook technologies are starting to become dated, the Army is looking for a new airframe that will reshape the future of Army Aviation. 

Abe Karem: president of Karem Aircraft next to a potential
design of the "Future Vertical Lift Aircraft"

The Army is currently working with four vendors (Bell Helicopter, Boeing-Sikorsky, AVX Aircraft and Karem Aircraft, the Army) in the “initial design and risk review” process.  Some of new features would include increased “speed, lift, lethality, range, survivability, and low sustainment costs“.  There are also talks of a heavier version to replace the Chinook helicopter.

Like any helicopter, the “future vertical lift aircraft” would have the potential to take off and land without the need for an established airfield with the added advantage of increased speed and carrying capacity similar to that of an airplane.  Any open area with a flat enough surface would be ideal.  While the final design specifications are not yet complete, this aircraft could potentially reshape the way the Army thinks about resupplying out in the field.   Air drops are a fairly complex mission, with the possibility of supplies being lost or damaged due to missing the drop zone or failed parachutes.  An aircraft like the “future vertical lift aircraft” would significantly reduce the number of air drops type missions needed for resupplying troops and the complexity that surrounds air drop resupply missions, as the aircraft would simply land or hover above the drop zone for perfect accuracy.  

Increased logistical capabilities means increased military power and effectiveness, and is ultimately an extension of national power.  LT GEN James Barclay, deputy chief of staff, believes the most realistic timeframe for integrating the new aircraft into actual aviation units would not happen until 2035.  While 20 years does seem like a long way away, Barclay believes that it is more important to design an airframe that meets the actual needs of the Army to make sure that logistical capabilities are increased along with a number of other specifications.

A change in Army culture.

 

This blog is not about new technologies, increased budget for the Army or greater fighting capability. As a matter of fact, it is complete opposite. Since the glorious march across France and Germany back in 1945, American army has improved and changed a lot. One thing, however, has remained the same for decades, until recently. Culture of consumption is embedded deep inside the society, and it took a long time for the Army to start moving away from buying new equipment, to actually repairing it.

            1^st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25^th infantry division was the first one to step in the right direction. At the beginning of fiscal year of 2013, the brigade analyzed maintenance trends and class IX (repair parts) expenses and identified, that nearly $4 million had been spent over a 90-day period. The solution to this high level of expenditure came after wargaming to keep the readiness high and costs low. Brigade Commander’s decision was to bring field-level engine repair, tire assembly repair, and battery charging to the brigade level of resourcing and management oversight.

            The results were outstanding – within the first 90 days, savings in these three maintenance areas reached nearly $3.5 million. The details of what exactly was changed and how can be found in the article here.

On the greater scale, the shift towards filed-level repairs will start changing unit’s dependence on logistic support. In other words, based on GTSR model, sustainment of units is not as heavily dependent on their sustainment brigades. Everyone knows that Army cannot operate without logistics, but after this change, the gap between 1-25^th SBCT and their sustainment units grew a little larger. To an extent, SBCT can utilize local dealers to purchase parts and repair their own equipment. They also stressed the importance of increasing the qualification of individual soldiers and enabling them to attempt to fix broken equipment before asking for replacement.

Millions saved on replacements means that millions can be used for other purposes, like training, improving the quality of life or towards generation of new forces (based on GTSR model). Overall, it is a good trend that leads towards more efficient and responsible Army in the future.

 

Archer FH77 Self-Propelled Howitzer

The Archer FH-77 Self-Propelled Howitzer is a fully autonomous 155mm howitzer designed by the Swedish defense company BAE Systems.  It's an ingenious solution to traditional artillery machinery.  It reduces manpower, increases mobility and concealment without sacrificing precision and accuracy. 

What is truly incredible about the Archer is that it is a truly mobile artillery platform.  It is possible to fire the Archer and within seconds be ready to move to another location.  This kind of flexibility offers artillery units the ability to reduce manpower and accomplish the same mission with a much lower risk to people and equipment. 

The current cost of the Archer is quite expensive.  It is $4.1 million per unit.  A 155mm Howitzer, by comparison, only costs about $570k.  However, there are a number of costs to consider that don't play into the individual cost of the Howitzer which are covered with the Archer system.  First, men must be trained to use the Howitzer.  The cost of creating a field artillery soldier who can operate a Howitzer costs tens of thousands of dollars, and entire units will be dedicated to the manning of 155mm Howitzer cannons.  Second, the Archer is mobile by default, and is attached to a truck.  The cost of a truck must also be included for a Howitzer cannon, because it cannot simply move itself. 

The Archer platform is certainly expensive, but it offers in a consolidated package what requires multiple personnel and other pieces of equipment to do otherwise.  The trade-off of the initial cost for the improved mobility of the platform and cheaper cost to use it.  Additionally, supplying the Archer platform is simpler because the vehicle that carries it provides storage space for rounds.  This allows it to take supply with it wherever it goes, and it can be restocked easily.  Lastly, the Archer can be inserted and removed from the conflict rapidly, unlike an artillery company.  The potential firepower offered by a few Archer platforms put together would easily equal the capability of a field artillery company, with better accuracy, fewer people at risk, and significantly better mobility.

The United States has currently shown no interest in adopting this system for use, but I believe it would be a vital tool for moving towards a more autonomous and capable Army.  Investments in systems like this can reduce dependency on manpower, and redirect manpower for more complex tasks that computers are poorly suited for. 

US Army's Logistical System Upgrade

US Army's Logistical System Upgrade

Staying on-par with the Army of 2020

Ordering supplies, managing equipment maintenance, and maintaining accountability of what supplies units possess while deployed - or even while on training exercises - has historically been a very tedious yet important task. However, due to a new upgrade the US Army Europe is about to undergo, this logistical system is about to get a whole lot easier. After seven years of development, testing, and validation the Global Combat Support System-Army has finally made it to the field this past year.

In an effort to keep with the standards and requirements of the Army of 2020, the Global Combat Support System-Army will an enhance a commanders ability to conduct decisive operations by integrating their unit's property accountability, maintenance operations, and requisitioning processes into a single system that provides him near-real time actionable information to assess and improve the unit's existing combat power readiness.

Unlike the Army's current system, where each aspect of logistics is in its own separate accountability log offline, the GCSS-Army upgrade will possess a web-based capability. This will greatly increase the speed at which commanders can request supplies, send supplies, and gain knowledge on the stocks of supplies already deployed.

Outside of benefiting logisticians, this upgrade will also benefit soldiers in the field in a number of ways. Warehouses will no longer have time-consuming closeouts and will have improved forecasting and reduced customer wait times. Unit supply rooms will have a virtual picture of customer bins at the supply support activity, which reduces risk to soldiers by limiting the amount of movement around a battlefield.

Finally, GCSS-Army will be operating in conjunction with the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS) in order to create a financial system of record that will integrate logistics and finance capability. This integration will greatly increase a commanders ability to have a greater picture of what is available, thus increasing unit readiness.

Squids Find New Ink

When naval ships transitioned from wind-generated power using sails to steam engine generated power using coal, they received a double edged sword. While the steam engine increased the speed of naval vessels, it also created a logistical burden that was not previously needed. By using sails to capture wind and propel the vessel, naval vessels could sail as long as the crew had the supplies to sustain daily life onboard. With the introduction of the steam engine, this was no longer the case. Since steam engines required coal as a source of power, vessels had to carry large quantities of coal to cross vast expanses of ocean. Navies would have to port and load more coal to continue vast distances across the globe. This new requirement created a logistical problem that navies face to this day.


The requirement of an external fuel source for naval vessels limits the reach of a navy and forces it to conduct naval operations within reach of  refueling capabilities. One of the greatest examples of navies limited operational objectives due to fuel requirements occurred in the Pacific Theater during World War II. One of the most famous naval battles between the United States and Japan occurred as a direct consequence of logistical needs, specifically fuel. The island of Midway is approximately half-way between the United States and Japan (hence the name). This island was of critical importance for both countries, as their navies needed a base to launch operations against the other nation. Possessing the island would give either navy a decided advantage in its operational reach in the theater.

Battle of Midway

 



Go Army! Sink Navy!

Fortunately for the United States Navy today, it may not ever have this problem again. United States Navy scientists recently discovered a way to convert seawater into jet fuel. Theses scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory extracted carbon dioxide from seawater while producing hydrogen. They then turned these into hydrocarbon liquid fuel. Most of the Navy's fleet use only oil-based fuel, except for some nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines. Having a fuel source always on had could potentially save the Navy much time by not having to conduct at-sea refueling processes. This enables the Navy to expand its operational reach while sustaining its operations. The Navy still has some significant problems, despite this emergence in new technology. The Navy is still weak in areas regarding offensive capabilities. The most prominent problem the Navy could not fix was acquiring any M1A1/2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks. The scientists are still frantically researching methods to make the Abrams fully amphibious but all efforts thus far were unsuccessful. The Navy completely gave up on trying to find any sailors with the mental or physical capability required of being a tanker.

It's 0045 and Navy still sucks! Boom!



HASC OKs $600B in 2015 DoD Spending, Nixes A-10 Retirement Plans

A-10 Thunderbolt II, popularly known as the Warthog

Earlier this morning the House Armed Services Committee “approved a measure that would authorize just over $600 billion in 2015 US defense spending and block plans to retire the A-10 attack plane” states John T. Bennett of Defense News. Earlier in 2013, the Air Force initiated plans to retire the ‘Warthog’ given substantial defense budget cuts. However, there has been significant pushback opposing the thought of ridding the military of the A-10, one of the most trusted and effective combat air assets. DefenseTech quoted Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh having said that the service needs to retire older, single-mission aircraft in order to fund newer projects, namely the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which will take up the A-10’s mission. Bennett goes on to note that the amendment to put a hold on the A-10 retirement passed with a 41-20 vote. The committee measure also poses a movement to stop the shift of Army Apache helicopters from the National Guard to active service.

F-35 Lightening II, or Joint Strike Fighter

This measure has numerous logistical concerns should the bill pass on the floor of Congress. First, with the downsizing of US military forces and combat operations winding down in Afghanistan, redeployment of the A-10 Warthog back to the United States as an operational, opposed to retired, aircraft will pose an issue for flightline space, fuel consumption, and pilot usage. The previous plan for retiring the A-10 was to wrap them in plastic (literally) and packed away, freeing up space both on the tarmac and in the budget, for the F-35. Secondly, the A-10 serves one mission: close air support. Due to such a specific mission and complex aircraft, the A-10 needs many hands on the ground dedicated solely to ensuring that these aircraft remain operational and able to support ground operations. With the mission of close air support becoming faster and more accurate in strike capability with UAVs and more mission diverse aircraft (F-35), the air force is keen on decreasing the personnel needed to sustain air assets that can fulfill the close air support mission. Continued operations using the A-10 would force more personnel and fiscal assets to be pumped into the program, and would take away from the development of the F-35. With a takeoff weight (51,000 lb) slightly heavier than the F-35, as well as half the range of the Joint Strike Fighter (1,200 miles), the A-10 would require more midair refueling missions, which leads to more Air Force assets being dedicated to Warthog operations. Compared to the F-35, which will take up the CAS slack left behind with the retirement of the A-10, the Warthog is much more costly regarding supplies and support personnel for CAS missions.

 

Logistically speaking, if the F-35 is fully integrated into the Air Force and US military operations, the Joint Strike fighter would be less costly and would improve the CAS mission as well as fulfill its other missions. This being said, the F-35 is still relatively new to the skies which pose serious fiscal concerns as research and development has been costly and ongoing. Considering sequestrations and the current draw down of the military, decision makers struggle to determine the cheapest and most efficient course of action regarding aircraft usage in the Air Force. Despite being slow, ugly, and very conspicuous, the A-10 comes with a trusted reputation of mission success and reliability. With a bombardment of pushback from the Air Force community and within Congress, it seems that the Warthog refuses to give up its CAS mission without a fight.