Major article upgrade, incl. recent ammo production launch. (Jan 31/11)
The U.S. Marine Corps sees the 120mm Expeditionary Fire Support System (EFSS) mortar as the 3rd leg of its triad of land-based fire support for expeditionary operations that includes the lightweight M777 155mm howitzer, and the truck-mounted M142 HIMARS rocket system.
Accompanying Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) in expeditionary operations, EFSS will be the primary indirect fire support system for the heliborne element of the Ship-To-Objective Maneuver (STOM) force. As such, the EFSS launcher, the Internally Transportable Vehicle (ITV) that tows the launcher, a portion of the basic load of ammunition, and a portion of its crew must be transportable by a single CH-53E Super Stallion or future CH-53K heavy lift helicopter, and/or a single MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
Rommel understood logistics (German Federal Archives)
The importance of logistics has long been recognized by generals. German Field Marshall Edwin Rommel once commented: “Battles are decided by the quartermasters before the first shot is fired.”
Apparently Rommel’s colleagues didn’t take his advice when preparing for the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The German army had planned for a swift victory, similar to the victory against France, so there was inadequate planning to equip the German troops for a long drawn out conflict in a brutal winter environment. But that is what they got, and the invasion ultimately failed.
To ensure its logistics system is up to the task of fighting overseas wars, the US Army Material Command (AMC) launched an effort called the Logistics Modernization Program (LMP). The program is designed to modernize systems and processes associated with managing the Army’s supply chain using a COTS-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) product developed by SAP. AMC recently awarded contract modifications to LMP prime contractor CSC in Falls Church, VA, worth $261 million to provide IT and logistics services under the LMP…
US Army explosives expert defuses Russian landmine
Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. These landmines are not just from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighting US and coalition forces. Many are left over from the Soviet occupation of the country from 1979 to 1989.
There are an estimated 100,000 landmines in Afghanistan. They pose a risk not only to US and coalition forces, but civilian Afghanis as well. Several international organizations, such as the UN Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan, have been working to clear the mines for decades. A video by filmaker Oliver Englehart provides a compelling view of a landmine clearing team.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been working to clear landmines from Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began. The USACE uses a combination of US soldiers and contractors to perform the work. The USACE’s Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, AL, recently awarded a contract worth up to $60 million to EOD Technology (EODT) in Lenoir City, TN, to clear mines and battlefield areas…
