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24 <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) ply aircraft may exceed those of relying on manned ground resupply systems and existing air resupply systems such as C–130, C–17, and C–5 transports and UH–60 and CH–47 helicopters (or CH–46, CH–53, and MV–22). UAVs have the potential to reduce the risk to human life in combat opera- tions, reduce the logistics footprint in theaters of operations, and improve lo- gistics effectiveness and efficiency.3 Reflecting the growing awareness and support in Congress and the Depart- ment of Defense (DoD) for unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), the Services are responding to their clear guidance, and investments in UASs have been increas- ing every year. However, that develop- ment is neither the purpose of this discussion nor the concept that must be deliberated as the Marine Corps deter- mines concepts of employment and op- erations for UALSs. Rather, it is the organization, staffing, and utilization of UALSs that is germane to this article. In August 2008 a universal need statement (UNS) was issued by the Marine Corps’ Department of Installa- tions and Logistics (I&L) that stated, inter alia: Due to the future operating environ- ment forecasted in the Commandant’s The Long War: Send in the Marines the Corps will need an alternate means to provide time-sensitive logistics sup- port to greatly dispersed locations. Cargo UASs can provide a solution to move tailored ammunition, supplies, fuel/water, or weapons packages in ad- verse weather from the sea or ashore over harsh terrain as required (24/7).4 This statement takes on even more sig- nificance when one considers the area and terrain existent in potential areas of operations, such as Afghanistan. Ground forces there have been con- ducting distributed operations with varying-sized units, sometimes as small as the squad level. When these units are separated by distances of 10 to 40 miles and at elevations up to 15,000 feet mean sea level (MSL), the options for resupply in case of emergency or troops in contact are limited. Several studies exist that compare the utility of UALSs in complement- ing manned aviation resupply plat- forms. In a 2008 study conducted by CDM Technologies, Inc. and the Po- tomac Institute for Policy Studies ( Lo- gistics Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Assessment), they focused on the ques- tion: can the cargo UAV make a signif- icant contribution to three closely related operational imperatives—en- hance rotary-wing and tiltrotor assault support transport (AST) capabilities, mitigate risks to the rotary-wing and tiltrotor force (i.e., preserve vital MAGTF mobility and maneuver), and provide dispersed logistics support on interdicted battlefields? To summarize, their findings included the following: • A cargo UAV with a 1,500-pound payload capacity could deliver 94 per- A UALS may become a valuable logistics support capability. (Photo courtesy of the author.)
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