Lendle

Strategic mobility, the capability to transport military forces rapidly across intercontinental distances into an operational theater, lies at the heart of US military strategy. Nowhere has the importance of strategic mobility been more evident than in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the military response to the Iraqi seizure of Kuwait that began in August 1990 and ended in March 1991.
This study presents a detailed analysis of how the Defense Transportation System (DTS)--the United States Transportation Command, its service components, and the civilian transportation industry—provided the strategic mobility that enabled the United States and its allies to assemble an overwhelming military force to defeat Iraq and free Kuwait. It is also a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the military and civilian personnel who ran the DTS during the operation.

Chapter I - Introduction Nifty Nugget and the Joint Deployment Agency Formation of United States Transportation Command Notes Chapter II - Strategic Deployment Management Chain of Command Strategic Lift Accomplishments Fortuitous Circumstances Deliberate and Execution Planning Intransit Visibility Notes Chapter III - Airlift Overview Operations US Strategic Airlift Fleet KC-10 Extender Navy C-9 Aircraft Allied Support of US Airlift Refugee Evacuation. Patriot Missile Deployment to Israel, and US Airlift Support for Allies Desert Express and European Desert Express Mail, Gifts, and Channel Airlift Aeromedical Airlift, Planning, and Regulating Tactical Airlift Assessment Military Airlift Command Fleet 463L Pallets The C-17 Aircraft and En Route Basing for Strategic Airlift Aircraft Civil Reserve Air Fleet Commercial Airlift Insurance Coverage Airlift Sustainment Cargo Backlog Notes Chapter IV - Sealift Overview Operations Afloat Prepositioning Force: Prepositioning Ships and Maritime Prepositioning Ships Fast Sealift Ships and the Antares Casualty Ready Reserve Force Commercial Charters: US Flag and Foreign Flag Delivery of Petroleum Products US Merchant Mariners Assessment The Decline of the US Merchant Marine and Its Impact on Strategic Deployment Commercial Industry's View and USTRANSCOM's Response Foreign Flag Balkers Desert Shield/Desert Storm Force Closures Notes Chapter V - Overland Transportation and Port Operations Overview Operations US Ports US Overland Transportation Deployment from Europe Assessment Peacetime Operations, Exercises, and Planning Reliability, Safety, and Labor Military Traffic Management Command in Europe USCINCTRANS' Conclusion Notes Chapter VI - Containerization Overview Special Middle East Sealift Agreement Containerization of Ammunition and Unit Equipment Post-Desert Shield/Desert Storm Containerization Notes Chapter VII - Operational Support Overview Total Force Integration Accounting Security Overview Overland and Port Operations Airlift Sealift Conclusion Intelligence Historian Public Affairs Notes Conclusion Notes List of Appendices 1: Consolidation of Transportation in the Department of Defense 2: Desert Shield/Desert Storm: A Chronology of Force Projection 3: Desert Shield/Desert Storm Airlift Summary by Civil Air Carrier 4: Desert Shield/Desert Storm Ammunition Delivery by Port 5: Afloat Prepositioning Force Activation/First Voyage by Seaport of Debarkation Arrival Date (MPS) 6: Afloat Prepositioning Force Activation/First Voyage by Seaport of Debarkation Arrival Date (PREPOS) 7: Fast Sealift Ships Activation/First Voyage by Seaport of Debarkation Arrival Date 8: Ready Reserve Force Activation/First Voyage by Seaport of Debarkation Arrival Date 9: Summary of Desert Shield/Desert Storm Seaports of Embarkation Activity 10: Desert Shield/Desert Storm Ship Activity by Port Glossary