The US Military’s Massive Global Transportation System
2022 ж. 4 Қаз.
2 621 733 Рет қаралды
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Writing by Sam Denby and Tristan Purdy
Editing by Alexander Williard
Animation led by Josh Sherrington
Sound by Graham Haerther
Thumbnail by Simon Buckmaster
First time I personally experienced the amazing US military logistics was when a unique part broke and the only spare was on a training unit. That part went from the training unit in Virginia to onboard our ship in the middle of the Pacific in under 36 hours.
The Air Force has a spare parts depot at Nellis. I used to work for the freight company with the contract to transfer items from the depot to passenger airlines to be transported in the cargo hold. There were times a call would come in at 9pm Pacific requesting an immediate pickup to have a part on a Southwest flight to Florida. If the part couldn't make the flight then one of the Thunderbirds wouldn't be able to participate in a show the following day. I didn't bother finding a driver or having paperwork faxed. I went to the base and McCarran myself and used my credentials to speed up the process. I also drove with confidence that if I got pulled over I would soon have an escort. The DOD has the ability to transport anything anywhere using any mode of transportation. Cost doesn't matter. Just get the mission accomplished.
@@hewhohasnoidentity4377 murica!
The US military is truly a titan of logistics... Seeing their transport capabilities is honestly more intimidating and terrifying than any fancy weapon showcase or power projection they might put on.
Reminds me of that WW2 quote about German and American tanks 'A German tiger is worth 10 Sherman tanks...but the Americans always had 11'
Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics. --NB
Even fusion bombs?
Armies win battles, logistics wins wars.
Multiple reentry warheads on one rocket and this is scared of some semis
Don’t forget that fedex is designed to configure their entire fleet when called upon by the gov. All the planes have military configuration maps for the cargo next to all the regular ones we use so that’ll also be a massive benefit if needed
And also don't forget that every US factory, regardless of what they make, by law is required to store their military production tooling nearby. Every single factory in America by law has to be able to be configured into military production within 3 months. Yeah that's a mind boggling feat too.
@@OtterTreySSArmy that’s pretty nuts can’t say I knew that but I figured after ww2 that they’d at least have a plan to get the country ready at a moments notice
@@Thehermderm this was partially activated to make ventilators during the pandemic. The system is designed for the DOD to disseminate a document with the information needed to tell the factory what is needed and how to complete the assigned work. This way every factory in the system can very rapidly convert and begin producing what is needed. The inputs required come from other locations in the system. It is an amazing concept perfected in WW2. The system didn't work well with the ventilators because the medical community couldn't agree on what functions were most important and the virus quickly mutated to make the machines already on hand to be sufficient. For war production items, the plans are already in place and constantly under review.
Federal is in the name
I'm American and I'm scared
I lived in Japan when I was in highschool and got to visit US Navy base in Yokosuka. As an American, I was surprised to see an entire base that was essentially like every other suburban town in America. It had movie theater with movies not opened in Japan yet and even had a mall with Taco Bell. It was crazy
I was amazed by the sheer scale of the logistics supporting the US military, and then you mentioned the navy and I realized you’d really only been talking about the army until that point. That really blew my mind.
If you really want to be amazed think about how all of this exists for the sole purpose of an infantryman (army or marine) taking and holding a piece of dirt somewhere. Every tank every Artillery piece ever ship every place every helicopter, it all exists to support the infantry in that objective. It's crazy how massive war actually is when you break it down to the most basic essence of what it is.
@@deusvult6920 You can’t have “Deus Vult” (Crusades motto) and not understand the value and importance of pieces of land (in your case, Jerusalem). Ukrainians will fight until every square-inch or their country is free, as would any other country, and Americans/Westerners will support them because they too fought valiantly for their lands as well. Even if it’s only a beachhead.
The world's largest air force is the US airforce. The second is the US navy.
@@deusvult6920 y’all infantrymen still drinking the koolaid, huh?
@@souleaterfan1234 yes, and everyone ELSE is a threat. We’re the good guys. 🙄
When I was a kid, my family was stationed in Naples near Carney Park. In retrospect, it's amazing how much resources the DoD invests there. The Support Site in Gricignano is like a small American city, with schools, housing, a hospital, a hotel, a shopping center, recreation, and more. It's worth noting that this is not just for the US military but the families of all NATO forces working there. This support was all essential because our parents would frequently get deployed elsewhere in the world, so thousands of families had to survive in an otherwise foreign place.
The US invested in a few parts around Europe to be kind of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation hubs for NATO troops (especially US troops). In Germany there was Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch in the German Alps. The US is able to do this because we have the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (or Navy Exchange Service). The profits from AAFES are supposed to go to local and regional MWR programs / facilities. Even our on post gyms are financed this way. It's called Non Appropriated Funds So instead of relying on taxes we have this for profit business entity which exists within the government. It's nice that the US invests into bringing a little bit of America to the various bases around the world. It really helps soften the culture shock when you are in a new country. You gotta think there are people that have never left their state, many that hadn't even really left their little tiny region of their state except once a year to go to the state fair. Also the schools on overseas military bases (Department if Defense Dependent Schools) are the best quality schools you will find anywhere in America with less than a 20k/yr tuition. The pay is really good, GS12 - GS14. Plus a Cost of Living Allowance and your housing is usually paid for. And people get to live overseas. And still have the summer off to travel wherever - and every. So it's really competitive and poor performers get fired.
@@deusvult6920 I didn't know about the AAFES funding. Thanks for sharing. For most people I knew, Naples was the first time they ever left their part of the country, so the base was so important to them. I'm glad that my family chose to live off-base and experience Italian society, and that the military encouraged us to learn the language. However, I also realize that these bases would never be possible without bringing some aspects of everyday American life to the families away from home for so long.
Colonies! All of Europe is a colony and we can’t wait for the US to collapse to regain our sovereignty 😁
I was there as a kid from 2000-2003, the only new thing on the base at that time was the Navy Lodge, and that opened up before we came back stateside. The commissary, hospital, exchange, etc were all off site with the exception of a small sattelite store located on the officers side of the base.
@@deusvult6920 That's some really interesting information, thanks for sharing! It's quite amazing to see the stuff the DoD can do~
Logistics is crucial.
Very nice
Good
Thanks for Sir Very Helpful information
This is so amazing 😍
👍👍
I’m an 88N(transportation coordinator) in the army and I’m not only surprised by how many of locations you’ve talked about I’ve been to but also the information and details about logistics, transportation and supply chain. Seriously worth showing this video for training to new soldiers getting into the transportation field.
During my time in the ROK TransCom, I had the opportunity to work together with some of the elements mentioned in the video. As a simple Korean enlistee I can't say I've first hand experience of the full logistical might of the US, but I do want to highlight the people I interacted with during my time. Everyone I met was an expert and professional to the degree that quite close to everything done was like clockwork. The big machines may do the heavy lifting, but I'd also highlight the people--the people make it happen, and they made it happen good.
I mean, logistics is what wins a war. It’s also what looses a war if the enemy is spread out and communicating like a bunch of independent rebels.
All love to KATUSAs! I used to buy all their drinks and food when we went out. I miss Korea dearly and would move back in a heartbeat give the opportunity
@@KRYMauL Just depends on whether the military is on a short political leash - as the US Military was during Vietnam.
@@Chuck8541 I don’t think that’s what happened in 1776, as the British came back 50 years later.
@@KRYMauL Agreed. I was specifically referring to Vietnam. 👍
As a steam enthusiast, I feel obliged to point out that even the most modern nuclear aircraft carriers are, technically, also steam-powered. 😉
Steam enthusiast I like that 👌
That's what I was thinking when he said "some of them are so old they are still steam powered"... Uhm.. some modern ships are, too? :D
LHD1 through 7 are also all steam powered and non-nuclear and still in service with the exception of LHD6.
I was an engineer on one of the Active ready reserve ships, the empire state. They're decommissioning her soon, but she was steam. Really cool to work on
That is a good observation. I dig it with toast! 👍
I like the fact that the hallmark and greatest strength of the US military is its logistics, rather than the number of jets or tanks or cannons it has. Even better, because this massive logistical network is so reliant upon having good relations with many countries around the world, it encourages cooperation and mutual respect. After all, only a military that revolves around a gigantic and complex logistics network can fully appreciate the incredible value of a friendly node in that network. The difference between having a friendly safe harbor near your ultimate destination and having to carry everything the whole way and back is staggering. And so, respecting the country providing that safe harbor, that node in the network, is absolutely vital. After all, if that country no longer wants to provide it, the superpower either has to acquiesce or go to war over it, and logistics experts know better than most how insanely demanding and complex war is. Thus, the US Military is power projection dependent upon alliances and good relations with many nations around the world--providing it incredible capability that nonetheless requires the superpower to keep itself in check to maintain it.
Yeah, after the Ukraine war is over if i was a russian i wouldnt be scared of the US putting nukes on Ukraine but of them putting an airport
Which makes you wonder why the US elected a giant infant who spent his single term calling all of America's allies unworthy pricks who don't do what he tells them to.
And that's why USA is giving Ukraine so much freaking money
It also has the most jets
I mean, we also do have the largest air force in the world. Also the second. And third. And I believe fourth? Russia's air force might (nominally) be larger than the US Navy's Army's- I mean, USMC's aviation wing.
I'm currently an Air Transportation specialist in the US Air Force and I absolutely love watching this! I've been in for a short time but so far I have seen and moved so much cool stuff that really makes the job rewarding!
Word of advice: You're going to meet a lot of negative people who wanted to do something else. Ignore them. Learn the ins and outs of your job, get qualified on everything you can, especially team chief and take pride in your job because everything you do is going to effect someone else Also stay in cargo as long as you can. Pax sucks
Port Dawgs!
Currently working 12 hours shifts with 1 day off a week. Not the best work life balance.
This was an excellent summary of a little known but vital capability of the US military. My father was a logistics officer in the Military Airlift Command, and as a kid I got to walk around HUGE warehouses full of thousands of everything: rucksacks, boots, generators, maintenance toolkits, hospital beds, trucks, whatever. It was like the biggest, best-organized Army surplus store ever, and it was only one of a dozen or so.
@doire aintu Not currently...however if needed there's a lot that will be transferred in. As most cargo ships are not currently flagged under the USA banner, due it's cheaper, tax reasons, etc they are flagged elsewhere, but will be used. Either the flagged county will do it, the company who owns them will step in. Plus any allies of the US will help out with their ships/planes/etc. So the 9000+ ships flagged in Panama (largest fleet of flagged ships by far), a good number will be used.
Wow 😳 … where did you get all that great footage and info? And great summary !! Ty for some excellent content you put together !!
The reason America is a superpower isn't because of the number of planes or tanks or troops. It's solely because of its ability to keep its military (relatively) well fed, well trained, well paid, and well fueled, anywhere in the world, 365 days a year. Dictators and regimes around the world always discount this, and instead invest in rifles and tanks instead of supply ships and cargo planes and water infrastructure, since the latter doesn't project force as well. Thanks for doing this video!
IMO the only thing that will betray that is the political side... if the left hand doesn't know how the right moves, they are just twitching ... or having a stroke of some sort...
They generally also arent interested in world domination though.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 lmao
America will collapse BECAUSE it has funded too much in its military
The American Regime is the current dictator of the world
Man imagine being a Russian soldier watching this video after you were just told that you have to search old trucks for a first aid kit or to "buy tampons" for your bullet wounds.
To be fair they told us the tampon thing in 2007 in Iraq too.
I wanting to believe that there's a young solider out there that one day getting so sexy time with his girlfriend and she pulls it out. And he gose "my god you've been shot who did this" I mean unlikely but .......still funny in my head
As a C-17 crew chief, I'm pretty excited when somebody starts talking about the UTC kits and other benefits like Space-A. That said though, there are many times full of BS that made me wonder how we're still holding all of this together.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine I regularly check aircraft tracking sites such as ADS-B exchange. What astounded me is that anytime I check the map, no matter the day or time of day, there's ALWAYS at least a few US military transports flying over Europe.
I like doing the same. You can see a list of the most-tracked aircraft, at night, usually around the same time after 11pm there are a couple of USAF C-130 flying over my city. Sometimes they have ADS switched on, sometimes they are unlisted, but it's nice to see that when they fly over and they are listed the number of people tracking them jumps as they fly over the town, it tells me a good proportion of the people using the app are in the same city as I. Also an ever-present eye in the sky is often the most tracked: it's a Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. On the Flightradar24 app the symbol looks the same size as any other aircraft, and so I just assumed it was a manned mission over the black sea.
I hike a lot in a forest in Germany that's east of the Ramstein airbase. Seeing a lot of military aircraft overhead, sometimes more than one at a time.
So you have been checking for eight years?
Ramstein. It's because of Ramstein. Everything to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East passes through Ramstein.
RCH flights, you get people new to ADS-B and plane tracking loose their shit about a RCH flight heading into Ramstien thinking its out of the ordinary. then you tell them that they're super common and mundane.
Hey I’m an Air Force C-17 pilot and I feel like you just taught me so much about my job hahah. This was really well done.
Thank you for your service💪🏼
Show off!
Why do you guys take so long when we have to jump outta your aircraft?
Lucky
Thanks for you service! I see you guys landing at my local airport (Belfast) a decent bit!
Your channel has made me appreciate the importance of logistics both in civilian and military fields.
There is a very old saying:”Amateurs study tactics whilst professionals study logistics..”
Slava Ukraini!
My father was stationed on Okinawa after WWII, when the Korean War started he was slated to be on a flight to go. However, he had been a welder before entering the Army and his welding skills were needed more than being a medic. The Army needed to pull all the abandoned equipment throughout the Pacific to be reconditioned for Korea. There wasn’t any preposition equipment, the shelves were bare. The current system was paid for in blood by generations of soldiers before us. This current system maybe expensive but it’s cheaper than blood.
Military postal service is amazing part of this system, especially if you consider that as a soldier deployed in Kuwait I received Amazon packages in 2-3 days and 5-7 in Afghanistan. That was nuts.
And yet, civilians living in Australia it can take up to 6 weeks (or 3-4 months during COVID)
Wow...that is so fast for Amazon to Kuwait and Afghanistan! I have before considered how personnel serving our country abroad get consumer items that are frequently unavailable in non-Western countries...(aside from the stores on base). TIL! Thanks for your service 🇺🇸 ❤ 💙 🤍
Yep did a LOT of mail as a USAFR Air Transportation airman. Uncountable tons of it.
I’m former Air Force, worked in Air Mobility Command 2009-2014, and this is awesome to see on your channel. I’ve been around the world transporting passengers and cargo and it’s an experience that opened my eyes and will never forget. Definitely was proud of my service!!
You helped operate the world's largest terrorist organization. Congrats you should feel real proud about that.
Thank You for your service
Yes, thank you for your service
@@NyalBurns bootlicker
Sorry for your service
Ah yes, The Patriot Express. I've grown up as a dependent of an active duty member (father is in the Air Force), and have had my fair share of military traveling experiences across the globe. I've also lived all over America and the world, including but not limited to: Washington, D.C., South Korea, Spain, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Alabama, Arkansas, and more. My family and I flew the Patriot Express (Omni Air) from Washington, D.C., all the way to South Korea in 2020 when we got stationed there for 2 years, and let me just say, for the record... Worst flying experience we've ever had. The pilot seemed like he was just out of school, the flight attendants were borderline racists, and each and every take off and landing felt like we were about to crash right there on the runway. As an adult who's grown out of the military lifestyle, I can honestly say that I do not miss the craziness of traveling within the military. It's not just as simple as you put it with 'trying to catch a flight to Germany' if you don't have RNLT papers/orders to your new base. You literally have to wake up at 3 am just to make it on time to the air field, where you'll wait for hours in hopes of making it onto a hopper/rotator which is always super uncomfortable, loud as HELL, and a bumpy ride the entire way. There aren't many things that I miss about the military, but even still, I have access to any base around the world until a few years from now if I ever wanted to visit one again - which I never would. And to all of those who are watching this video and thinking that you're missing out on some secret, luxurious lifestyle, take it from me who grew up in it- you're NOT missing anything great. Most of the bases are mediocre/outdated/poorly constructed, a lot of the leadership on said bases are shit (especially on Bolling AFB, in D.C.), the housing generally sucks ass, and those cool hotels that were mentioned?? Yeah, they're eternally infected with ants, roaches, mold, and more. Don't let the pictures and videos fool you, these 'special military inns' have been around for decades and are poorly managed almost all of the time... And I've stayed at countless locations around the globe, they never fail to disappoint.
I guess they are managed by lowest bidder
What was the best base you have been to? Out of all what was the best one you remember?
@@hahaaha7400 Government contracts baby. It's also why our cities suck and roads and bridges are crumbling. All built by the lowest bidder. Being honest and going "Yeah this will cost X" won't get you a job but cutting corners and having dubious practises does. And funnily enough, it doesn't save money at all. Having to fix that shit and all the delays that happens cost more than if it was done right the first time.
lol i actually was getting jealous but then your comment gave me a reality check
And then there's the absurd amount of toxic vaxx's you are forced to take.
As someone who saw a lot of videos showing Russian army, I was very pleasantly surprised that everyone in this video had socks. That's already some sound logistics right there.
Former Navy. I was a Yeoman in Japan and frequently both rode on and filled out reservation papers for the Patriot Express. Never thought I'd see that in a Wendover video but here we are. Awesome stuff.
As a military brat those free military flights were amazing and super easy, went all over Europe for super cheap when my dad was retiring
Military brat here as well. Only military flights I ever did were from U.S. to Germany to Turkey then back a few years later. I was a bit over 4yrs old when my fam went to Turkey, and I was about to turn 7 on the return trip. During the return trip, the flight from Turkey to Germany (as was Germany to Turkey) was on a C-130. On the that return flight I remember getting to climb up to view the cockpit from the hatch during the flight. Couldn't see much more than the cockpit since I was a small kid, and it was nighttime anyway. The flights between Germany and the states were on a commercial liner. I did travel a lot more when my dad was stationed in the states, but that travelling was done by car.
Ever seen the movie 'Jarhead,' when all the marines were on a TWA flight headed out for Operation Desert Shield? More comfortable than a C-130, I guess. I wonder if they had to check their M-16s? ;-)
@@williamyoung9401 I've seen postings from US service personnel where they had special dispensation so that the TSA didn't object to all their weapons being taken on as cabin luggage, but they still had problems with knives etc purely because those weren't included in the dispensation. Madness.
Even the US Military doesn't want to use Spirit airlines
That is incredible how quickly functional bare bones base can be set up. That's some pretty top of the line resource management and planning. I'm truly impressed.
As a US Army Mobility Warrant Officer in the Military Surface Deployment Distribution Command (SDDC) it's surprising that you didn't mention the massive amount of cargo we move by trucks, trains, and vessels. Military Sealift Command (MSC) chartered vessels are just a fraction of DTS cargo. SDDC loads and discharges not only all of the charters but also every liner vessel we book all over the world carrying DOD unit-move, ammunition, sustainment, household goods and personally owned vehicle cargo. We are the DOD Single Port Manager operating the sea ports and enabling force projection across every continent and also manage the railways and commercial highway cargo in the US. Would also be great to hear about the Army's Joint Forcible Entry, AKA Airborne capability. I've spent some time at Ft. Bragg. 😉 Finally, Tanker Airlift Control Command (TACC) is a large part of what keeps Air Mobility Command in the air by way of fuel tankers. I'd love to help you fill in some of the blanks and provide more details for future videos. Overall great work and interesting content as always!
The logistics of the US Military is just mindblowing, man. Awesome stuff
18 minutes just barely scratches the surface of the whole logistics operation.
I worked on a product called DRRS back in 2007. Are you guys still using that system, or did you ever use it? :D. I spent many a sleepless night coding that system (along with my colleagues). We had generals and admirals in the office all the time. As former military it was a little intimidating, but then I remember I'm a civilian and I don't have to salute ;)
I grew up around a bunch of military as well, since my mom worked for Military Traffic Management Command - Eastern Area (MTMC-EA), which was responsible for a lot of the traffic that headed to Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Unfortunately the base closed in the 90s, and it's now being used for a Royal Caribbean cruise port and has a number of various condominiums going up in an area of town that is pretty much set off from all the rest of the city. Still, the abilities of that small base were incredible when it came to staging and logistics for an action like those in the Middle East.
CPT in the SDDC. Surprised as well
I am always amazed by the quality of stock footage used in your videos. Crazy to think there's so much video content of US Army logistics.
well... it's not really classified anyway...
Is really good PR I suppose.
A lot of high quality photos and video footage is released by DOD and units at every level as part of their public affairs work, people just don't really tend to look. That being said, anything that the public can see is information the military decided wouldn't be a big deal for anyone to know. Classified materials are, after all, classified.
All content created by the US Government (or any other federal, state or local organization) is public domain. Some of it is classified, but none of it is copyrighted.
It's probably all shot by some E4 for their daily Armed Forces Network (AFN) story. The military has public affairs specialists. Their entire job is communicating what their unit is doing to the public at large. And there are news people that do multiple news casts a day with information from around the military to other military folks.
I was living in Germany when that Ramstein hotel was built around 15~ years ago. Seeing it mentioned in such detail out of nowhere on this channel sent me back to my childhood. Thanks fellas.
I love this video, back in February when Russia invaded my brigade was put on alert to go to Germany. Once we were activated we went over and within a matter of days we had pulled APS and we’re ready to roll. When we went to Korea in 2020 it took months to properly load and ship all of our equipment to do a rotation there. So after experiencing what was basically a REFORGER it just blew my mind. And also my brigade was a ABCT
Fun fact: In the event of full scale war, ALL manufacturing centers in the US are required by law to be capable of military production. Once the Defense Production Act is invoked all non-essential consumer goods are halted and converted to military production. The gov owns HUGE warehouses full of equipment to re-toll civilian factory lines once the go ahead is sent. A car factory will become a tank factory within a month. No other country in the world has this production advantage, especially at our scale
Honestly not sure it works like that anymore. Back in WW2 the difference between a tank and a car wasn't too great but now military gear is much much more complicated. Look at the difficulties of ramping up production in existing factories for things like Javelins and imagine how much harder it would be to to switch production in a factory designed to make something completely different.
@@Jack-rp6zy +5 rubles 😩
Good thing the owners of U.S production spent decades shipping production to nations with more exploitable workers for the sake of profit. But that's fine. It's not like the military needs microchips or quality steel for anything.
Good thing a a full scale war will not happen anymore, by the fact that no country in the world, even the US, have this much money or can take this much debt for a full mobilization
It doesn’t happen exactly like that. In a protracted war that will happen over time. What happens immediately is that anyone that is currently making a product for the military is told to stop all non-military production. This has happened quite a few times to the company I work for. Our military contacts are a small percentage, single digits, of total production.
I know one thing, the Navy container ships are full DGAF when it comes to speed. We’ve almost been capsized by them while fishing in Washington’s Puget Sound because they’re going so damn fast and making 10-15’ wakes. Way waaaay faster than commercial ships.
What does DGAF stand for please? 🤔
@@charlesnullens don’t give a f** 🤣
When stuff is needed somewhere right now, they make best possible speeds.
@@stupidburp Ehhhh. Or they just don’t care because they can go as fast as they want. There’s not a whole lot going on at the naval stations around here.
Because fuel conservancy is not part of their operating consideration. Commercial cargo transport on the otherhand are currently moving at coasting speed, port to port.
At 1:13, ... "I've SLEPT there!" :D Thanks for the jog down memory lane, Wendover!
This is literally what I do for work in the military and this whole video is surprisingly accurate!
Today's fact: Marmite was one of most confiscated items at airports from the U.K., to overcome this issue, Marmite made smaller ones for travelling.
I luv u
Clearly, an issue of national importance. Insert joke about how no other country would sell something so disgusting so UK tourists need to bring their own, and I'll just prepare to be chased with torches and pitchforks now :3
so.... marmite is a potential bomb?
What’s marmite 😅
imagine something that tastes that bad being highly prized.
Fully appreciate you syncing "rotating basis" with the about-turn at 0:15. I've now got an image of an entire army working on a literal rotating basis, spinning on the spot, stuck in my head. Thanks 😂
Is each individual in the entire army rotating, or is the entire army as a formation rotating?
@@hamslicemcdooogle8080 Why not both
Each base comes standard with a Fresh Prince of Bell Aire throne spinning mechanism right in the center
@@Director_Orson_Krennic its true. And surrounding that mechanism are rocks thatstarted out as pebbles but are now builders from all the soldiers on extra duty having to paint them over the years
This video was so well researched and information dense I had to rewind and rewatch frequently to absorb it all. Well done 👋👋
In the late fall of 2002, my brigade (2nd BDE of the 3rd Infantry Division) deployed to Kuwait for routine peacekeeping/training operations one difference however from previous units that recently deployed there is that we didn't bring our own home station vehicles and equipment over (other than weapons) and once we got there we got one of the Pre Positioned fleets of equipment rotated into service for our use. I received an M113A1 APC built in 1974 (one year younger than I was)that had less than 20 miles on the odometer, it was BRAND NEW. While not everyone had a brand new vehicle like me they were all refurbished to be like new, all the associated equipment that came with our vehicles (tools, accessories, etc) was brand new and still packed in the cosmoline grease. We couldn't believe our fortune after years in the army having dealt with well-worn and broken equipment and tools this was amazing but then it became obvious why, by the time January rolled around, we were going to be invading Iraq and our brigade was going to be the tip of the spear. All that pre-placed equipment did its job though.
Imagine going on holiday to Italy, only to visit an American style park.
Its a very US thing to do. Nevertheless the whole logistics system is very impressive. We are lucky russia is nowhere near this level...
@@RCP-1136 china can be one day.
@@Myanmartiger921 maybe, but they’re too busy controlling their domestic population and committing genocide to even bother
@@Myanmartiger921 Not a chance in hell.
@@georgearrivals lol? Based on what? They already *are* doing a lot of this stuff. China isn't Russia or the USSR. It's less "we're lucky russia isn't near this level", it's that Russia is simply not capable of that kind of projection - most countries are not. China has a billion citizens and has broadly rejected centrally controlled economics unlike other communist states. Some people have been putting their fingers in their ear saying "china dumb and stupid" for years while China invests massive amounts of funds into liberal democratic nations, builds military bases all around the world, reverses their promises to keep their military assets away from their foreign ports, replacing the USA as the patron or security guarantor for many third world countries, all while still beleiving that Russia is a superpower on any level other than gas and nukes (while the US was replacing Russia as security guarantor for eastern europe). I just think it can be pretty delusional.
I am from Glorious Russia, and want to say thank you so much for this explanation of DoD logistics. It's a great -tutorial for an army in disarray- introduction for the average viewer.
this is all public information. russia already knows all of this
@@willehster9467 It was a joke about how poorly Russia planned the logistics support for their invasion. They've known since the winter of 1941 what happens when your invasion outruns the supply train.
You funny man. Pull plow! 🤣🤣
@@Lawrence330 it just seemed like he was being sarcastic and didn’t feel like this should be shared cause russians might watch it
Or maybe the fact they already know how ready we are, is why Putin is talking tactical nukes cause he knows darn well a conventional war is not something he can win.
4:40 well that explains when I fly allegiant or go to air shows at Scott, i see a bunch of cargo plans taking off and grounded. Thanks Wendover!
A video on this topic coming from a youtuber like you is exactly what I've been waiting for. Thank you so much
The US military isn't the world's greatest fighting force. It's the world's greatest Logistics force, that also just coincidentally happens to be the world's greatest fighting force.
😄😄😄 nice!
*But...but.. muuuh russihennns!* Probably some triggered pro-russkie
Seeing this really puts into perspective how nearly impossible it would be for an external force to beat the United States, and how much internal strife and politics cripple our ability to face our enemies or wage war than the actual logistics of getting troops or supplies into the theater of war. Also makes me feel like the Afghan war could've actually been a victory if it weren't in part for shitty politics and policies.
It goes hand in hand. If your logistics force is good, there's a good chance your fighting force is good too. You can't have a great fighting force without a great logistics force
The Taliban should be up there as well they fought 50 plus countries for 20yr
I'd love to see a video on the strategic risk of the lack of US Merchant Marine. That could be a whole video in itself, and I think US politicians need to be made aware of it and why it's a problem. Very little maritime shipping to and from the USA is carried on US flagged ships. Flags of Convenience dominate the shipping industry. This is a big part of why there's not enough US Merchant ships or sailors.
The Jones Act helps - somewhat.
The US military prioritizes US-flag carriers. Only if the cost is out of control or there are no US-flag carriers available then does the military use foreign flagged ships
@@lorenzoboyd6889 The Jones act is also a bastard coated bastard with bastard filling. The requirement to use US built hulls to conduct commercial operations when the US (non-military) shipbuilding industry is nearly non-existent is just monstrous. The upcharge you are forced to pay compared to a foreign built ship of the exact same quality is completely ridiculous...unless you are a cruise-liner, able to abuse the various loopholes.
Our politicians can't figure out what a woman is. The nuances of logistics in military preparedness are beyond the capacity for our politicians to undersatnd.
@@SamBrickell You people are blowing that shit way out of proportion.
The scale and complexity off all this is just mind-blowing.
When I was in a Navy Patrol Squadron back in the 1970s and we used a charter for extra aircrews and maintenance people to go deployments . We also would use a C-141 to take our tools and other supplies. Coming back we needed 2 C-141s to carry the tools, souvenirs stereos and I even remember seeing tires to return stateside.
16:42 Exactly! Logistics is crucial. I am happy that my home country is an ally with USA. Russia would not dare to attack us. At the same time, I am humbly proud that my own country help Ukraine in various ways. Our economy is almost insignificant compared to USA, we rely heavily on Russian fossil fuels (hopefully this will change soon = in the next 5 years). We have some equipment from the Soviet era and it all was donated to Ukraine. Vehicles, planes, etc. they are familiar with and can use immediately. Temporarily, I am very grateful to our neighbors in Europe, to protect our air-space until new US made fighters arrive.
Russia wouldn't. But have you heard about a man named Putin?
@@watema3381 Despite what you may think, the attack on Ukraine was strategic and likely campaigned by a majority of Russia’s ministers. It wasn’t just one man deciding to do it for no reason.
@@KenLinx Russia is Putin's Russia. They may have peddled it alongside him, because if they were against, they'd be stripped of their position at best or end up "mysteriously" dead at worst.
Thank you and your country for helping my country
@@ldELuxEl Ukraine is doing a favor to all of Europe. Your countrymen are dying fighting for our freedom too. There is no question about helping. It is our duty to do at least something. I wish we could do more. Слава Україні!
I was a refueling boom operator and did a stint as a Contingency Response member to setup the austere bases you mentioned around the 8:30 time. As a boom operator we transported passenger and cargo all over the world, and refueled all types of aircraft. When I was leading a UTC for small base ops we didn't get those bases in a box, we got a trailer, a truck and 4 personnel to setup a dirt strip and run ops for a week. You did a great job, but missed the whole refueling tanker logistics.
I think he has a really long video about US military fuel logistics.
I work for one of the airlines that belongs to CRAF and does a lot of cargo flying for the military. Pretty impressive to see in in action. Funny thing is often times we will get to a place, and passport control for that country is not available to us on the base, so as civilian airline crew, we get confined to the base for our stay, but are given nearly full access to the base facilities as guests of the Air Force. These bases are like self contained American communities in another country. Other than the bland tan colored buildings that often tend to look alike, the base has everything you can think of, including an American shopping center, American fast food and casual dining restaurants (Chilis, Subway, Burger King, American style diners), tennis courts, golf courses, bowing alleys, movie theaters, fitness centers, aquatic center, running tracks and jogging paths, hospital, veterinary clinic, auto mechanic, an entire American school system from pre-school through American universities offering graduate degrees (a division of the University of Maryland is one of the most common to see). Very interesting to experience.
I actually live on Ramstein AB and this is really well researched. Its funny seeing the place I live show up on your videos every time you bring up the military. Flew on the patriot express myself to get here on Atlas Air, from as you said Terminal E out of BWI. If you ever have any questions for future videos feel free to reach out, I can get you unclassed info anyways.
Sorry Wendover, I loved the video, but at 3:49 I just wanted to point out that the facility in Naples is not inside a dormant volcano, it is inside a partially eroded cinder cone. Which is on top of a very active supervolcano called Campi Fleigrei from whom the cinder cone is created, but I totally understand as the sentence you wrote sounds way cooler.
I disagree… I think a “very active super volcano” sounds way cooler 😂
I'm curious as to how the US managed to acquire such an area from the Italians as you would think such a site would be culturally protected.
@@krashd im sure a quick google search could rectify that, but if I had to guess they probably leased it indefinitely at the end of ww2
“Infantry win battles, logistics win wars.” Gen. John J Pershing.
and that's why Ukraine is king right now
@@PrograError Ukraine couldn't supply themselves lmao otherwise the US wouldn't have sent them yet another aid package 😅
@@deusvult6920 sure... you can deliver to the border but if your basic logistic to frontline is as bad as russian are... ukarine would have been dead man firing on fumes, eventually losing more land even as they could resist it. at least the ukarinians ain't lacking in support internally so they are just gonna be badly bruised for a bad while...
@@deusvult6920 The US isn't running Ukrainian logistics. Plus, logistics isn't nearly as much of a headache for a defending nation as it is for an invader for obvious reasons. Simply having the material isn't enough, getting it to the battlefield is the hard part, something that's a lot easier for Ukraine than it is for Russia.
Ukraine is being used by the US as a proxy and nothing more. All that aid sis going to military defense contractors and politicians bank accounts on both sides.
As a current USAF airmen you sure did some good research.
I remember once there was a group of 3 USAF guys in front of me at the Navy Lodge in Port Hueneme, CA ask "oh my it is late. Is there a restaurant on the hotel premises" I almost fell over laughing. They thought it would be the Four Seasons--which it definitely is not.
If by four seasons they mean you are exposed to at least 4 hostile elements of weather, then it is the four seasons.
"Wow, so, it's almost like logistics are a _neccessary prerequisite_ for combat effectiveness. All this time I thought all you needed were some uniforms, rusty guns, and a _lot_ of warm bodies..." _-Sergei Shoigu_
If you need a video idea I think the logistics of organ transplants would be interesting
Dude, HUGE shout out! I was stationed at Camp Carroll, Waegwan, South Korea! It was over 30 years ago when things were completely different for military there. My unit, the 260th Military Police Co., under the 728th Military Police Batallion, doesn't even exist anymore. At least not in nearly the capacity that it did back then. We were responsible for the physical security of the entire 8th Army USFK area, which was pretty much all of South Korea.
Shout out from a former 95-Bravo myself.
This was a good watch. Both entertaining and informative. Thank you.
my uncle was one of the stewards that served marines going on American Airlines to theater during the gulf war. which probably felt right for him, as he was a Marine Vet. himself. so while his job as a civilian was as a stewardess and his fighting days had long gone ceased, he served the country one last time by serving current marines during their flights to war
That's nice, but if he's your uncle, then he's a steward, not a stewardess.
I feel like you should know, men who are flight attendants are not stewardesses, but stewards...
@@mikemartin6748 you're right, english is my second language
@@theguy9208 not my first language
a male stewardess is also refered as a steward
There's a reason that "Amateurs study tactics, professionals' study logistic," is a common saying. Logistics power is military power!
This video is incredible. As someone who has 0 personal connection to the military but has always been interested in it, this is so informative. Thank u!
This used to be my bailiwick. I was a part of the Military Traffic Management Command, a sister command of the AMC and one which had the responsibility for surface transportation, port operations, house-hold goods and a presence at several air fields. It used to be that Lambert Airport in St. Louis was the BWI. And the military flights from there went to Korea, or Germany.
You know this all started from a HAI video titled "Why the US military runs a hotel chain"
The KMC Passenger Terminal is great. I've been there many times--both as active-duty military and as a DoD civilian residing and working in Germany--and its more like a mall than a military passenger terminal.
Perhaps you were in the mall that's across the street from the pax terminal then?
@@ronbarker6075 For those of us who lived in Ktown or have deployed from Ramstein, we never differentiated between the 2. Or the lodging building, for that matter. It's all the same "complex": the KMCC.
Also he only touched on some of the Army Logistical capabilities. As a ex sailor we have same thing called the Table of Allowance TOA. When any of these units get them orders we start embarkation. It's a massive evolution and us Supply folks gotta ensure all that equipment stays ready at a moments notice so the other departments can continue these operations.
Was watching the port workers load a seemingly endless amount of pallets onto Royal's Wonder of the Seas and thought. Sam needs to do a video on cruise ship logistics. It has to be as insane as concerts!
This was a great video to watch as I have personal experience ties to several of the mentioned aspects in the video. My dad was USAF when I was born, so my first 16yrs were spent on air force bases. These included Nellis AFB, Travis AFB, Scott AFB and even the base at Incirlik Turkey. I want to point out another primary host function of Scott AFB, that being of the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (part of the 375th Operations Group.) As the name suggests, this group is responsible for evacuating and otherwise transporting medically incapacitated personal as well as attending medical personal and their necessary equipment. From mid 1988 to mid 1991, my dad was stationed at Scott AFB as assigned to be the ranking NCO of the base's orthopedics medical department. One more neat (if I do say so myself) tie I have to the logistics aspects of the USAF is through my grandfather who was a member of "Red Horse," the USAF's department of engineering assigned to flightline and supporting infrastructure construction in hostile territory. My grandfather, who retired with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, for a period of time during the 1980s (if I'm not mistaken,) was the overall command NCO of the western division of Red Horse, which was/is headquartered at Nellis AFB, NV. Thanks, Wendover Productions, for this very informative and personally tied video presentation.
Nice! A video about a topic I'm directly involved in, as a Air transportation 2T2 Airman, and under Air Mobility Command. Video is well done, you've done your homework, sir!
I’ve been in this business for 26 years (20 in the military and 6 as a contractor), I have to say this video was well done.
Hi Wendover, you are missing a key logistical position that the US Military use. You are missing Harewood AFB/ RNZAF Air Movements Harewood (CHC - Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand). The USAF is based at Harewood AFB from late September through April for operation Deep Freeze (This includes a logistics centre). This location was also used by SOFIA (run by NASA until Sept 2022).
Obviously I assumed military logistics would be an immense challenge. I did NOT know about all of this though (especially the cool part about how you can use that service for vacation with your family albeit risky if you're a person that likes a plan haha). Thanks for the video. Great as always.
This channel never fails to impress me with its consistent, top notch quality. Keep up the great videos Wendover team!
“Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” - Gen. O. Bradley. BTW, awesome segue.
The reverse to this is the incredible scale of the DoD's medical treatment and evacuation system. The US Navy (through the Military Sealift Command) operates some of the largest hospitals in the USA, the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort. They are just one piece in an amazing system that has resulted in a survival rate of over 99% for a US Marine being treated by a US Navy Corpsman in the battlefield.
Lived as a USAF Brat near Ramstein from '94-'00. Watching the sheer volume of planes coming in and out during the conflicts then were amazing. Knowing that Ramstein is the largest hub for logistics and DoD members and families and being a part of it for a short time, is very close to me. Great to see it on this video.
Might be time to move that hub Eastward. Perhaps to Chechia or Romania.
This is awe inspiring and completely terrifying.
My job in the Air Force , is one that directly does most of what you mentioned in the video. It was nice to see everything that you said , and you did lots of research and I actually learned something and I've been in for 6 years. Great video!
In addition to the systems listed, the USAF has a network of scheduled diplomatic flights that cover most of the major USA embassies around the world. Some flights are daily, but some are only weekly. DOD and State department employees can easily schedule these flights to reach most embassies within one week on secure USAF aircraft. These aircraft also carry secret diplomatic pouches.
“Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” -General Omar Bradley
Thanks for the great video! I noticed that APS-1 moved from near Texas at @10:28 to near Alaska at @11:56.
This truly was interesting to watch,thank you for the video very informative.
As one who worked for a time for the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, an excellent video.
APS-1 sure moved pretty far between 10:36 and 11:55. As an Alaskan, I was quite surprised to find it here now! 😆
I was looking for this too
For more US military logistics, I highly recommend people check out a channel called Battle Order, specifically a video titled, "The Complex Logistics of Keeping a Tank Fueled (U.S. Army)"
WOW! What a great, informative video! Is that DAVID from The Cold War channel narrating? If not, the narrator has the same vocal cadence! I learned so much here about my own country''s military and Defense Department.
I don't think we can even mention Russia or any other military in the same sentence. This is not even next level. US military is a different species altogether. Kudos to the men and women to have envisioned and developed a war machine so formidable and utterly overwhelming in any part of the world.
I camped with my family at the “volcano entertainment complex” (aka NSA Carny Park) outside Naples during the summer of 2002. Had a great time and it was a real throw back seeing it covered here.
Wendover Preductions. Thank you so much for your time, effort and honesty in making these videos possible. Your videos are of a high quality, as per usual. I learned something new. Thank you.
Ramstein is the most incredible base in the world. I’ve been on countless bases but was blown away when I went the first time. Very well made video as always
The fact that we get free videos on KZhead by Wendover Productions is truly a gift. 👍👍👍
as an infantryman I never would admit it, but these guys and the navy keep us in business.
Tooth and tail, you have the most terrifying warriors in human history and some of the smartest men in the world ensuring those warriors have all they need to ensure the enemy dies. It's a beautiful thing
unbelievable the amount of information that Wendover production has on military logistics. That's the backbone of winning a war.
Creeping suspicion that the background of this video is the US military commissioning this nice sounding video since they're 25% short of yearly recruits
I worked on a product called DRRS. A lot of the details are still covered under TS, so I can't really go into much, but DRRS was basically a logistical tool used by all branches of the service. It allowed you to see troop concentrations and effectively route troops to wherever they are needed. Whether it's Marines needed on the battlefield, or National Guard deployed for natural disasters this tool had it covered. This was over 15 years ago, so I have no idea if it's still being used today, but they had some sophisticated software 15 years ago. I imagine it's only gotten more sophisticated. If I recall the acronym stood for Defense Readiness and Reaction System.
I'm emailing this to Putin now
NOOOOOOOO
16:12 IDK, there is a massive difference between "ships we have now" and "ships we will have next month". The USA may have survived WW2 based on the ships we had the day of the Pearl Harbor attacks, at least for a bit, but we didn't win with them. What actually won the war, was brand new ships, especially the Liberty Ship, designed to maximize the throughput of a shipyard. Speaking of: I'd be interested in the logistical aspect of how that actually worked. Designing a ship that can be thrown together, and then handing a shipyard the blueprints is one thing. Making sure the shipyard workers don't have to wait around for materials to get out of traffic jams, is another.
I love how he just lists all the things that are in a US military base. Now I can make it in Minecraft
I like how "only the essentials" in a temporary air base is still so over-capable that it includes a whole suite of washing machines with hot water &c.
You don't wash clothes, you get disease and bad morale.