Speed and the Fog of War: Sense and Respond Logistics in Operation Iraqi Freedom-I (Invasion) - Marine Corps Task Organization as Force Multiplier, Causes of Chaos in Supply Chain, Push versus Pull

This unique report is professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The term "fog of war" is often associated with the commander's lack of clear information on the battlefield. "War is inherently volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. For this condition, contemporary U.S. military usage offers the acronym VUCA." Compounding the "fog of war" on the modern battlefield is the high tempo of operations or speed sought by commanders to overwhelm and defeat the enemy. This case study proposes that the use of sense and respond (S&R) logistics during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF-I) would have provided logisticians critical decisionmaking information (situational awareness) thereby reducing the fog of war and facilitating more efficient and responsive support to the warfighter. In drawing this conclusion, the following study analyzes the events of OIF-I, citing logistical lessons learned and difficulties experienced, and offers suggestions to reduce those challenges.

The implementation of S&R logistics will shape future joint logistics requirements while driving changes in joint doctrine and how we support the operational environment. Current efforts under the Forces Transformation and Resources Office (formerly the Office of Force Transformation) and the Program Manager, Light Armored Vehicle (PM-LAV) pave a path for S & R logistics implementation within the military. Lastly, the study highlights the current Marine Corps logistics operations in Iraq and offers some insight into the future. An initial overview examines the events that led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

By most accounts the invasion of Iraq, now known as Operation Iraqi Freedom-I, was a huge success. During March 2003, 167 ships operated by the Military Sealift Command created a "Steel Bridge of Democracy" that ferried required equipment forward into theater. To appreciate the range of this endeavor, there was on average a ship every 72 miles from the United States to Kuwait. Additionally, pilots flew thousands of C-130, C-5, and C-17, and commercial sorties both inter- and intratheater to deploy and position almost 424,000 U.S. personnel and their equipment. This herculean feat facilitated the reception, staging, onward movement, and integration (RSO&I) of forces in the Area of Operations (AOR) and supported the concept of operations developed by the combatant commander.

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