The book examines the U.S. strategic lift for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm from the perspective of United States Transportation Command, the unified command responsible for deploying and sustaining U.S. forces worldwide. It emphasizes the interrelationships of the three transportation modes — air, land and sea — and places the deployment in the context of the overall joint operation. Discussions include rail, truck and bus transportation from forts to ports, seaport and airport operations in the United States and overseas; C-141 and C-5 airlift of passengers and cargo; and Ready Reserve Force, Afloat Prepositioning Force, and Fast Sealift Ship transportation of materiel in support of the war effort. Other topics covered are containerization of ammunition and unit cargo; security against terrorists and saboteurs; contributions of reservists; and command, control, communications, and computer transportation systems. The tremendous contribution of commercial industry to the strategic mobility equation is highlighted. The authors make numerous recommendations for improving strategic lift capability based on lessons learned from the operation in the Persian Gulf.

Strategic mobility, the capability to transport military forces rapidly across intercontinental distances into an operational theater, lies at the heart of US military strategy. Nowhere has the importance of strategic mobility been more evident than in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, the military response to the Iraqi seizure of Kuwait that began in August 1990 and ended in March 1991

This study presents a detailed analysis of how the Defense Transportation System (DTS) -- the United States Transportation Command, its service components, and the civilian transportation industry -- provided the strategic mobility force to defeat Iraq and free Kuwait. It is also a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the military and civilian personnel who ran the DTS during the operation.

This volume is the first major history of a joint operation to be published by the Joint History Office and supports the efforts of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to promote a greater understanding of the joint system. I recommend it to military planners, operators, and logisticians, as well as to readers interested in joint and combined operations.

You may order the book in paperback through the Government Printing Office. Below is the information you will need to order the book.

• Title: So Many, So Much, So Far, So Fast: United States Transportation Command and Strategic Deployment for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

• Stock Number: 008-000-00-693-8

• Cost: $21 plus shipping and handling

• GPO Address: Superintendent of Documents P.O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh PA 15250

• Order Information Desk: (202) 512-1800