Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) April 05, 2003
Airport seizure opens crucial route
Baghdad's airport now can be used to channel food, fuel and other goods to constantly moving front-line troops
By Sharon Schmickle
Securing Baghdad's international airport will boost the system that has strained to supply rapidly advancing frontline troops with the food, fuel and other goods they need to keep moving.
Measured in terms of food energy, the system has moved more that 1.5 billion calories toward the front lines in the past eight days, said Marine Capt. Monte Erfourth who grew up in Pine City, Minn., and coordinates supply deliveries to the troops in Iraq. That's more than 1 million Meals Ready to Eat, he said.
As he spoke, a large forklift near the tent that functions as a supply office was loading two trucks with more of the meals that sustain the troops. Last week, frontline supplies were so short that some of the hardest-fighting Marines were down to one meal a day. That shortage has eased, Erfourth said.
Scarcity at the front lines is due to logistical problems rather than true shortages, he said. The challenge has been to deliver supplies to a destination that continually changes, largely depending upon the Iraqi resistance that U.S. troops encounter.
"Imagine being Wal-Mart and your stores and your customers move every day, and they don't always tell you in advance where and when they are going," Erfourth said. "Plans change, and suddenly your delivery destination is Point Y rather than Point X. But you launched that truck two days ago toward Point X."
The difference between this operation and a Wal-Mart, of course, is that the stakes can be life or death in the movement not only of food but also of medical supplies, ammunition, water and the other life-sustaining necessities of war.
"If Wal-Mart satisfied 99 percent of its customers, that would be pretty . . . good, but it's not good enough for us," said Capt. Chris Cannon of Monterey, Calif., who works with Erfourth.
Thanks to satellite phones and other improvements in technology, the supply ordering system is more streamlined than in any previous war. But trucks still roll at about the same pace they did 25 years ago, Cannon said.
Some supplies have been airlifted, but most have gone north in truck convoys that have been slowed by everything from ambushes to sandstorms. Hundreds of trucks crawl every day across desert roads stretching from the Kuwait border to Baghdad. Maintaining the trucks in a place where sand penetrates every part is a challenge in itself.
The movement also has depended upon bridges across the Euphrates and Tigris rivers that Iraqi fighters have tried to control. The United States and its allies now control key bridges, but their hold was tenuous during the first two weeks of the war.
"When you are moving this much freight hundreds of miles into Bad Guy Territory, it can be very difficult to get the trucks exactly where you need them to go," Cannon said.
Helicopters have dropped supplies into some hard-to-reach locations, but firm control of a major airport could enable shipments via huge cargo planes. It also could help move troops and medical teams to sites where they will be needed as the drive to secure Baghdad continues.
Meanwhile, the supply flow into Iraq continues to build in large proportions. The United States has laid a pipeline for pumping fuel from Kuwait into south central Iraq. British forces are completing a system for pumping water into the desert where each fighter needs several gallons a day as the temperature rises.
The Marines will not release details about the amounts of supplies they have moved, saying some of the information could give away troop strength and military strategy. But the volume of the supply movement is a feat in itself, Cannon said.
"Nobody's starving out there," Cannon said. "Nobody's dying of dehydration. Nobody's throwing rocks at Baghdad because they've run out of ammunition."
Sharon Schmickle is at sschmickle@startribune.com.
Go to http://startribune.com/Iraq for audio of Schmickle and audio, video and photos by Mike Zerby.
SUPPLY AND SUPPORT
With U.S.-led troops deep in Iraq, one of the biggest challenges is keeping them supplied with fuel, water, food and ammunition. A 20,000-person division can go through 2,000 tons of supplies in a day.
To keep up, hundreds of trucks each day make the 14-hour trip from Kuwait to forces at the front in Iraq, where they unload their supplies, change drivers and head back to Kuwait for another load.
CH-47 CHINOOK HELICOPTER: Can be used to rapidly transport supplies when sending them by ground would take too long.
OH-58 HELICOPTER: Accompanies the convoy to provide air support. Also, with its bird's eye view, it can make sure than no trucks in the convoy get lost.
HEAVY EXPANDED MOBILITY TACTICAL TRUCK: Can be equipped as a fuel tanker, carrying 2,500 gallons of fuel, or as a cargo truck that can transport 10 tons of supplies. Able to travel both on and off road.
M1093 STANDARD CARGO TRUCK: Able to transport 5 tons of cargo. Can be equipped with a machine gun to help provide protection against ground attacks.
HIGH MOBILITY MULTI-PURPOSE WHEELED VEHICLE: Equipped with either a .50-caliber machine gun or a grenade launcher. Can carry cargo or up 8 people.
M2 BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLE: Armored fighting vehicle provides protection for the rest of the convoy. Its main armament is a 25-mm chain gun, and it also has a machine gun and anti-tank missile system.
Sources: David C. Isby, defense analyst; Globalsecurity.org; Jane's Military Vehicles and Logistics.
GRAPHIC: ILLUSTRATION; MAP; PHOTO
Copyright © 2003, Star Tribune
