24page

22 <a href="http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette">www.mca-marines.org/gazette</a> M a r i n e C o r p s G a z e t t e • M a y 2 0 0 9 IDEAS & ISSUES (AVIATION) F utures strategists are in general agreement that the future will be uncertain, unstable, and unpre- dictably characterized by both temporary incursions and longer term campaigns. These actions will be con- ducted on short notice in “every clime and place,” often by forward afloat Ma- rine air-ground task forces (MAGTFs) that are flexible and, if necessary, lethal. U.S. military forces must prepare for a continued high tempo of expeditionary operations, counterinsurgency opera- tions, and contingency responses— likely engagements that range from humanitarian assistance/disaster relief to major combat operations. The overarching concepts that em- brace our approach to meeting this un- certain future include operations from the sea, ship-to-objective maneuver (STOM), and distributed operations/ enhanced company operations (ECO). One of the major challenges we will face will be providing dispersed logis- tics support on interdicted battlefields. Unmanned aerial logistics systems (UALSs), whether fixed-wing, rotary- wing, or guided parafoils, can provide a mobility enabler for expeditionary operations, contingencies, and success- ful seabasing. To this end, the Marine Corps has been contemplating un- manned aerial logistics vehicles and de- livery systems for over 10 years and has had various defense contractors investi- gate a variety of potential solutions. In the first edition of the Secretary of Defense Unmanned Systems Roadmap (2007–23) there are discussions of re- connaissance and surveillance, target- ing and designation, countermine warfare, and chemical, biological, radi- ation, nuclear, and explosive reconnais- sance but no mention of unmanned platforms—air or surface—for logistics (to include casevac or medevac). This is a lamentable shortcoming of the document given the priority placed by several of the combatant commanders and the Services (particularly the Army and Marine Corps) on modes of logis- tical resupply that are better, faster, and less risky than traditional groundbased systems in particular and manned transport aircraft in general. In a November 2008 Government Accountability Office report to the House Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, the word “logistics” is men- tioned only in the title of the Undersec- retary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Likewise, the word “cargo” appears only once in the report in the background section where it states, “The range of payloads includes sensors; weapons; cargo, such as mission-critical supplies; and equip- ment to extend communications net- works.”1 Yet a review of the current literature leads one to believe that the Services, to include the Marine Corps, are in general agreement regarding the utility and desirability of UALSs. The use of UALSs for civilian logistics operations has also been suggested several times over the past few years, and there is, to some at least, an obvious market for such aircraft. Take for example the fol- lowing Federal Aviation Administra- tion (FAA) quote: . . . if effectively integrated within a larger logistical framework, [un- manned aerial vehicles (UAVs)] could become a valuable asset for companies like FedEx [Federal Express] and UPS [United Parcel Service].2 In a March 2004 article in Army Lo- gistician, MAJ John V. McCoy noted that: UAVs may help to meet logistics needs on future battlefields, yielding the ben- efits of simplicity, reliability, flexibility, lift capability, interoperability, asset vis- ibility, reduced risk, and lower cost. The benefits of using unmanned resup- Flying Over the Horizon A mobility enabler for logistics support of the future by Col Earl W. Powers, USMC(Ret) >Col Powers is a retired Marine with over 33 years of enlisted and commissioned service. He flew the A–4 Skyhawk and the F/A–18 Hornet and commanded at the battalion, squadron, and group levels. He is currently as Research Fellow, Po- tomac Institute for Policy Studies’ Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Quantico. He recently completed his doctorate studies. “There cannot be a revolution in military affairs with- out there first being a revolution in military logistics.” —GEN Dennis J. Reimer, Army Chief of Staff
24page

www.mca-marines.org/gazette