Pegasus Unbound? The Challenge of Sustainment and Endurance in Airborne Joint Forcible Entry Operations
Abstract
How should the Army best structure the logistical elements of its new Airborne Brigade Combat Team (BCT) to support Joint Forcible Entry Operations (JFEO)? With the focus on becoming a more "Joint and Expeditionary" force with "Campaign Qualities," as well as the supply problems encountered by Army and Marine forces on the drive to Baghdad, logistics has once again come to the forefront. The strains involved in sustaining a parachute-delivered force in hostile territory can serve as an excellent model for just what the Army hopes to accomplish with "expeditionary" logistics. The primary conclusion of the work is that there has been a historical underestimation of requirements and overestimation of capabilities, especially in the area of aerial delivery, for sustainment of parachute operations. To overcome these factors, the paper recommends a number of solutions across the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, and Personnel (DOTMLPF) spectrum. These include a greater emphasis in doctrine on pushing supplies and logistical assets forward; the production of a Joint manual on JFEO; the creation of a Assault Support Platoon within the various Forward Support Companies; the fielding of improved aerial delivery platforms; and the inclusion of Airborne JFEO facilities in the Joint Sea-Basing concept.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA437595
Entities
People
- Timothy M. Gilhool
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College