More tooth for the tail: the right stuff for CSS operations

Army Logistician,  Jan-Feb, 2004  by Shawn P. Walsh

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The logistics community must take advantage of the lessons that have been learned so far from Operation Iraqi Freedom and press for materiel and doctrinal transformation of our combat service support (CSS) units. CSS units must have the right stuff to better support rapid combat operations, like those conducted by coalition forces in their quick march to Baghdad, and sustain operations in hostile, post-combat environments.

In their swift march to Baghdad in the initial days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, combat units were forced to leave their lines of communication unsecured. During sustainment operations, CSS units unilaterally conducted convoy support and base defense because combat and combat support units, such as infantry and military police, were tasked with other priorities. While combat developers continue to search for ways to reduce the Army's logistics footprint, leaders must ensure that all CSS units, including division-, corps-, and theater-support units, become more lethal, survivable, and responsive in supporting current and future forces. CSS units must have the resources to fight and survive while they support and sustain the warfighter.

CSS for Offensive Operations

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) combatant commander would not give the order to cross the line of departure to start the Operation Iraqi Freedom offensive until certain conditions were met. One of those conditions was a viable fuel distribution system that stretched to the Iraqi border and sufficient fuel stocks on the ground in Kuwait to support combat forces to decisive victory. Until just days before the war, only one Quartermaster battalion, the 240th Quartermaster Battalion, from Fort Lee, Virginia, met the combatant commander's pre-war fuel requirement, but it had limited support, time, and resources. The 240th was tasked to build and protect the largest tactical petroleum terminal (TPT) ever constructed. Soldiers' tactical and force protection awareness was heightened because this TPT was located at the Iraq-Kuwait border and made the 240th the closest Army unit to the border before the war.

The improvised weapon mount on the roof of this HMMWV keeps the soldier's M249 SAW visible, which helps to deter enemy attack and places the weapon in a ready-to-fire position.

After successfully meeting pre-war mission demands, the 240th continued its doctrinal mission 120 miles forward into Iraq, operating the Inland Petroleum Distribution System (IPDS) pipeline and TPT in a hostile area of operations. During execution of their daily missions, the battalion leaders mitigated risks wherever possible. They quickly learned that the modification table of organization and equipment (MTOE) for the theater-level CSS petroleum pipeline and terminal operating (PPTO) companies lacked some essentials. Each day, the soldiers in those companies had to operate in harm's way without sufficient equipment or external support. Some of the same shortfalls were noted in other Quartermaster and Transportation companies assigned to the 240th Quartermaster Battalion during reception, staging, onward movement, and integration (RSO&I) and sustainment operations. It soon became apparent to the battalion leaders and staff that under-equipped CSS units were being required to execute unilateral missions across the battlespace.

Pump Station Security and Pipeline Patrol

While living and operating in searing 130-degree temperatures, enduring sandstorms, and traveling on unsecured supply routes, 240th Quartermaster Battalion soldiers had to protect 15 isolated pump stations and numerous TPTs and patrol and protect over 220 miles of IPDS pipeline snaking through the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq. Daily threats along the pipeline included armed Iraqi fuel thieves and pipeline saboteurs. Approximately a quarter-mile of the actual IPDS pipeline was stolen, most likely for the scrap value of the aluminum pipe. Fuel thefts from the pipeline were almost a nightly occurrence. Saboteurs sometimes broke the pipeline and ignited the free-running fuel, which set portions of the pipeline on fire. To discourage vandalism, the battalion increased the frequency of pipeline patrols and sent the patrols out at different hours during day and night to make it difficult for the enemy to predict the patrol schedule.

Although PPTO companies assigned to the battalion did not have the right equipment to conduct effective pump station security, pipeline patrols, or night operations, the battalion staff quickly learned to cross-level needed equipment from other assigned petroleum supply companies and medium truck companies. At the same time, they submitted numerous requests for the equipment they needed to lessen force protection risks associated with operating the IPDS pipeline and terminals.

Convoy Operations

Divisional, corps, and theater CSS units traveled throughout the battlespace, and all were likely to encounter ambush, sniper attack, and improvised explosive devices. Therefore, they needed a high level of force protection, including hardened vehicles and mounts for crew-served weapons.