Logistics Security —: a critical mission in force protection - LOGSEC

Military Police, March, 2002 by Chester S. Lemanski, Jr.

Each day, the Department of Defense (DOD) provides worldwide support to our forces through a logistics system designed to get the equipment, supplies, and munitions from manufacturers, through the military depot system, to the troops on the front line. The supply system never stops--the movement of military freight, like the national defense mission it supports, is a 24/7/365-operation. This is accomplished by using commercial railroads, motor freight carriers, airlines, inland waterways, pipelines, package delivery services, the U.S. Postal Service, and merchant vessels. At any given moment, there are hundreds of sensitive munitions shipments moving on the country's roads and rails. Many thousands of additional shipments move daily by all modes of transport. Law enforcement's support to the logistics system is, of necessity, an around-the-clock operation.

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Several major military commands play critical roles in this system. The Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) develop and procure the weapons systems and supplies. Each relies on the defense transportation system to move the supplies to the depots and troops in the field. This system is comprised of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC), the Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), and the Army's Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC). All three of these organizations are subordinate to the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), a joint DOD command located at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Military shippers worldwide rely on MTMC for the surface movement of their cargo. Operating through its subordinate element--the MTMC Operations Center (MTMC OC), at Fort Eustis, Virginia--MTMC receives the requirements for transportation from installation transportation officers (ITOs) and books the cargo with commercial trucking firms, railroads, and other transportation operators. These commands are the "customers" for law enforcement support operations.

Further, whenever the military conducts training exercises at centralized training facilities such as the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California; deploys troops overseas; or redeploys overseas troops to their continental U.S. (CONUS) home stations, MTMC OC handles the movements of the units' equipment. It deals with the commercial carriers directly, or with the MSC, to charter vessels required for outside CONUS (OCONUS) moves. This command also exercises control of the military out ports in CONUS, the Caribbean, and the Army Reserve transportation units including the MP terminal security companies (TSCs)--the law enforcement components.

The movement of critical military supplies and equipment renders the war materials susceptible to theft or sabotage by criminals, terrorists, or opposing military forces. This is where the Corps plays a vital role in enhancing the security of military property moving through the transportation system. The mission is termed LOGSEC.

LOGSEC is a component of the overall force protection concept addressing the security and integrity of the logistics systems, especially the transportation system. Its mission includes the totality of military law enforcement activities to support the logistics system, and it potentially involves all of the Corps's assets.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) coordinates the overall efforts that support the LOGSEC mission. CID elements located on Army installations coordinate with supported unit commanders to ensure that troop and equipment movements are accomplished with minimal exposure to hostile elements. This is especially critical in view of the contemporary concept of force protection in a period of austere budgets. A deploying force must be ready to fight-to-win upon arrival in a theater of war. This necessitates the successful shipment and arrival of all their supplies and equipment--both intact and in a serviceable condition.

The Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU) of the 701 st MP Group, USACIDC, participates in the LOGSEC mission by providing the special agents who liaison with MTMC, the MTMC OC, and USTRANSCOM. These agents ensure the timely and effective communication of troop and equipment movement data from the logisficians to law enforcement. They coordinate effective LOGSEC support for the moves and provide law enforcement expertise to supported commands. They are also law enforcement professionals capable of providing these commands with interface among local, state, federal, and commercial law enforcement authorities and the military.

MPFU also investigates major procurement or contract fraud. This aspect of their mission ensures that equipment and supplies entering the logistics pipeline are compliant with specifications and suitable for use by our forces. Safety is also of concern here--defective, inoperable, or sub-specification equipment can jeopardize life and limb among our service members or deny them the ability to defend themselves adequately. Storing and shipping defective supplies and equipment are also a costly waste of precious resources. Each year, the MPFU successfully investigates and enables the prosecution of numerous defense contractors and their dishonest officials. Millions of dollars are saved, and defective equipment is removed from the inventory.