The U.S. Transportation Command - How Big a Difference Will It Make?

Since the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Command Post Exercise (CPX) NIFTY NUGGET 78, conducted in the Fall of 1978, the Department of Defense (DOD) has been trying to fix the significant transportation shortcomings that were identified in this worldwide mobilization and deployment exercise. Our inabil...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Burns, James W
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AUTOMATION
COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS
Command, Control and Communications Systems
CONGRESS
DEFENSE PLANNING
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEPLOYMENT
EXERCISE(PHYSIOLOGY)
GLOBAL
LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
LOGISTICS PLANNING
LOGISTICS SUPPORT
Logistics, Military Facilities and Supplies
MILITARY STRATEGY
MILITARY SUPPLIES
MOBILITY
MOBILIZATION
POSITION FINDING
TASK FORCES
TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES
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Summary:Since the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Command Post Exercise (CPX) NIFTY NUGGET 78, conducted in the Fall of 1978, the Department of Defense (DOD) has been trying to fix the significant transportation shortcomings that were identified in this worldwide mobilization and deployment exercise. Our inability to mobilize, deploy, and sustain forces came under great criticism. The JCS, DOD, and even the Congress have been involved in coming up with the right fix, and there have been many efforts to identify the best approach. While the headquarters was activated on 1 October 1987, the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) formally became our newest unified command on 1 October 1988. This study is based on my personal experiences as a member of a JCS special Task Force (1984) studying the problem, briefing papers, interviews at USTRANSCOM, many other working papers, as well as published documents. My purpose is to provide insight into the many efforts to reorganize the DOD transportation operating agencies (TOAs) and the logic for the recommendations. Next I will review the USTRANSCOM mission, organization and concept of operations. A quick review of the strategic mobility related portions of Defense automated planning and execution systems will provide the reader with insight into the command, control, communications, and computer (C4S) dilemma that exists today. Finally, in answering the title question, I will review the problems with the proposed solutions and determine where we are now and where we still need to go.