As  young soldiers deployed to Saudi Arabia in Desert Storm, we were justifiably concerned about being sent hundreds of miles into an unforgiving desert with only what we could carry. As we set up camp near a tiny little town called Hafr al Batin in the western desert, the first supply trucks arrived and just in the nick of time.  As we unloaded, I came across an enormous box of Skittles candy, neatly packaged in platoon sized pallets.  Right then I knew we would win the war.

Honestly, what other nation on earth can go so far as to provision a troop’s favorite candy?  That, my friends, is logistical excellence.  It’s an American specialty.
The historical facts bear this out.  Led by the brilliant Lieutenant General “Gus” Pagonis, Americas fighting forces had more than enough for a quick victory.  This was one of the largest mobilizations in history, involving 500,000 troops, seven million tons of supplies and over 12,500 aircraft.

Flash forward to today, and America’s airlift might is being put to the test yet again as the latest round of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, some $800 million dollars, including 105 Howitzers, 40,000 artillery rounds and armored personnel carriers.  To date, America has shipped $2 Billion in direct assistance in less than two months. 

These are devastating weapons, but they are only as valuable as the quality of their ammunition. This is where the Army’s Munitions Quality Assurance experts step in. Based in ordnance units around the world, they are part of the over 100,000 American service personnel on the ground in Eastern Europe.

Logistics win wars.  Ask Mr. Putin. He’s apparently having trouble delivering cans of gas across his own border. 
 
Jim, The SOT Team (SSG Rt’d)