As a former Fuel and Water Platoon Leader for an ABCT, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and credit you for your diligent research and the accuracy of information presented. This a tool that I will recommend to any new Logisticians handling fuel.
@Brian Darling I can maneuver with the best of them, but it’s too bad they can’t keep up with logistics. As is apparent by the Army taking distribution platoons in ABCTs from maneuvers LTs and giving them back to logisticians. That’s including my hands on experience of working with them.
Retired Army Log officer, This is a great video and will pass along to other soldiers currently serving as an instructional tool. I don't even think ALU has something like this, it's all done via powerpoint.
Pretty sure you'd find some nerds or something who are going bored in the lower ranks, so why not just put out a call for anyone who's has experience in doing video presentation -God knows there's got to be a few of them, just look! - and then have them update all of your procedures and stuff to be like I don't know video guides or some shit.
@@BattleOrder Just don't pass those translations back to DOD. It would expose that 90% of power point pushers are surplus to requirements as it would leave them with no means to justify their existence... Come to think of it, can you please do this work for the NZ government? Thanks.
As a retired Air Force Logistics officer, who worked a lot alongside Army sustainment troops I found this presentation to be very, very well done! A great overview how military logistics works esp. in theater.
Logistics are a very interesting topic and absolutely crucial to operations. And this video only explains the fuel distribution, I imagine the ammo, general stores, food and water requirements will be also huge.
The particulars are different, like oil tankers and pipelines vs. pallets of MREs, but once stuff is in theater the flow is pretty similar. Food in particular is pretty much identical to oil as far as the DLA > Sustainment Command > Sustainment Brigade > Maneuver unit pipeline because DLA procures it. Ammunition is fairly different in the procurement process, stockpiling and organizations involved, but not so much once it gets in theater Once it gets to the brigade-level it's all pretty much the process explained at 9:30
@@BattleOrder can you make more logistics videos? I want to pass your videos to other soldiers as educational material. Thank you a lot for the excellent presentation. Where can one read more about it?
Damn, now THIS is the kind of content that makes me happy to be a patron. No clickbait bullshit, just a fantastically structured and well-animated explainer of one of the most under-appreciated parts of the modern military.
@@Graymenn no, in order to invade us you will require massive amounts of transportation and logistics. Nobody has it, nor the fuel carrying capacity or even food and water. In order for that to happen you must gather it together. A fat juicy target that will burn nicely, if you manage to get a fleet going, still needs a place to land, and we can cover all of our coast.
I’m retired now. However, I have been the senior 92W40 in a Special Troops Battalion and the the senior 92W40 in 2 Sustainment Brigades in-charge of all water and fuel operations to the units in the Theater of Operations (TO). This video was by far a great way of showing other 92F, L & W Soldiers the big picture so they know how they fit into the TO, the importance of doing their jobs right and who is depending on them down range. Excellent video.
My father was a marine in WWII at just 15 years old. After the war he studied history in college, and his entire life focused on WWII. I asked him once why he spent so much time on WWII history. He said, "because as a grunt, they dont tell you anything. I am still learning out about historical battles taking place just over the hill from where I was standing". 😆
This is so interesting! Thank you! It reminds me that some of the best generals started as Quartermasters, like General Ulysses S. Grant, or at least had a very good understanding of logistics, like General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Napoleon Bonaparte
And the biggest losers in war are where logistics are screwed up - like Russia in 1941 (lots of cutting edge tanks and aircraft but no fuel and ammunition for either (because those aren’t impressive on parade in Red Square)). Russia still hasn’t learned that lesson about “short victorious wars”.
I was a 92F, all of these things I learned while in the service helped me become Supply Chain and Logistic professional I am today. makes me fuzzy to see someone talk about what used to be my world.
Four years of working in the building next to DLA and all I did was use their gym. I had no idea what they actually did and how it fit in... Thank you so much for this 😅
Excellent video! As a Logistics officer, I use fuel as an example to show new Soldiers in our Sustainment Brigade where we fit in. It’s impressive to see how 1 million gallons of fuel PER DAY can get moved inland 500+ miles, and get stored in collapsible tanks.
Please please do more on sustainment and logistics! It’s a topic so laughably poorly covered by other documentaries ( saying banalities like “this is like when you people go shopping!”). I love how you’re not afraid to go into detail. For someone who’s going down the rabbit hole of military logistics, this is the best on this subject I’ve seen:
Nobody moves without go-juice! I want to expand on the OPDS for a moment. At present, we have a single OPDS. Up until the mid 2000's we had 3. These three were 1960's era oil tankers that had an offshore mooring/POL transfer unit (barge that was sunk to the bottom as an anchor with a buoy attached), hose, and support boats strapped to the deck. In this form, they also had the first load of POL to go ashore onboard also. Problem is they were OLD and slow. By 2003 when I blew the doors off one of them doing a mere 19knots en route from the UAE to Diego Garcia (I think they were doing 10) they were already both totally obsolete and extremely expensive to maintain. By 2009, 2 were out of service and the oil field support vessel based unit in your video was in service. I just looked it up, some how the third one stuck around till 2020!
Great video explaining the less known aspects of logistics. Would love to see more videos like this focused on the units/people who are keeping the army up and functional. And the editing makes it even more enjoyable to watch.
I was in a support unit back in the '90's instead of being back on the tank. I also was on tanks in the '80's when the Hemmts came out. I fail to recall being able to fuel more than two vehicsls at once. Two thumbs up on this vid explaining how things get done. I really dig dude's wording and no b.s. talk.👍👍
As a backend software engineer I find things like this endlessly fascinating - there are those of us who make it happen behind the scenes so everyone else can do their job. : ) Much respect to all the heroes, known and unknown !
Well done! My dad was stationed at HQ 21st Sup Comm in K-town when I was a kid. I never fully understood what they did, but I got the gist. Your video filled in a number of gaps. Really enjoyed it. Most people think about the military only as soldiers on a battlefield without any appreciation for everything that non-combat service members do to facilitate combat operations. Thanks for shining a light on some of the unsung heroes in the Quartermaster Corps.
Ex-POL (2F0 - Fuels) from the USAF. This video is very well done. Interesting to see how everything is setup from the Army's POV. Have been out of that game for 15 or so years but seeing that we are all still using a lot of the same equipment as back then is amazing to see. Additionally, was in Saudi during the buildup in 2003 you mentioned and you were spot on. Again, great work and video! WHO THE HELL?!! Hint: The answer is POL.
As a career soldier and Desert Storm tank company XO, I can assure you that logistics make the world go round. Cool guys can't do cool stuff with fuel and ammo. Great video!
Logistics is fascinating. Can you do an in-depth analysis on the supply system of the Viet Cong? It's very interesting to see how 'irregular' forces are supplied in the field. Great video. There was a great deal I didn't know about the fuel network system in Europe.
A lot less demand for fuel now then it was in the past. I read some place that each Armor and Mech Inf Division during Desert Storm used over a 1 million gallons of fuel a day during the ground offensive.
Army vehicles typically can go 300 miles per full tank of fuel. So if the army isn't moving it isn't burning that much fuel. But idling to run the radios and hydraulics uses fuel too. M1s without the little diesel APU use quite a few gallons per hour idling.
@@Token_Civilian Remember to record everything on VHS tapes and erase your wedding video for something more important, Nancy '44 ! th-cam.com/video/sMaacvisvH8/w-d-xo.html
The process is almost identical, minus specialty things like pipelines and oil tankers. DLA purchases the MREs from manufacturers, the joint force gets them in-theater and delivers them to the Sustainment Commands responsible for the theater or corps area. The Sustainment Command's Sustainment Brigades have food supply/transport units that then deliver them to the brigade/division support area. As far as getting them from brigade level to the troops, food supplies would be included in the same logistics packages (LOGPAC) described at 9:30
@@exgangster843 in most cases its going to be all at one point with the different stations set up for each class of supply being issued. So you pull up to the forward supply point, go to the first station to refuel, next station to draw ammo, and finally go get food and water, although individual unit SOP's may slightly alter this process for different units.
As Mechanized Infantry in Germany in the late 80"s we would get food and ammo while refueling. never having to leave the armored vehicle. We use to run in Battalion task forces and i give them credit back then, we usually were moving out quickly. In NBC environment they would have Decon stations set up by Chemical Company's as part of the process. That is why Desert Storm ran so smooth after 45 years of training for the Russians.
American nuclear aircraft carriers use its own reactors to power a small city in a crisis, and the Army helps with rescue and disaster relief efforts whenever needed. Unfortunately if we don’t have weapons we will die by those who have them, pacifism is not a realistic expectation and is counter productive to a society that wants to keep its way of life.
The USAF Air Mobility Command has specialized units (ALCF) for setting up those austere airfields and you bet they include fuel infrastructure, mostly in vehicles and personnel that are in the initial wave. You hit the ground, offload the vehicles, offload fuel from your aircraft to fuel trucks, and launch them. Rinse, repeat.
This was way more interesting than expected, your video explained things excellently! Makes me curious now about how the engineering forces work. River crossings, entrenching, mine clearing, construction, repairs, and more?? Would make for a great video, I'm sure.
I feel like I just chugged a gallon of Alphabet Soup. Regardless of the usual normally-inscrutable military structur, this was a really great detailed look into how consumables support the mission! Great work and keep it up. Subscribed.
Seem to recall an old saying to the effect of - “no one wants to pay for the training and detailed planning of the logistics department when there’s no war, but once the fighting starts then the Logistics units are like God & Santa” all in one as they manage to keep everything going with fuel, spare parts and all the rest! Thankfully I found that both our British Logistics Command and our cousins from over the pond have invested resources into making logistics into “only slightly” less of a dark art, into something that most Royal Marine Commandos and our younger brothers of the USMC can understand and really appreciate! Semper Fi mates, it was an honour serving with you - and a fecking hoofing time when the top brass weren’t there!
I have been reading a diary by a Long Range Desert Group Trooper covering the early period of operations in the Western desert where Benzine as they called the fuel was transported in 4 Gallon square tins they called flimsies prone to seams breaking and fuel loss. They use the empties for cooking and some other chores. 3 ton trucks were used to pre-stock fuel dumps along various routes they used to out maneuver the Italian and German forces. Logistics has come a long way since then.
92f has to be one of the shammest jobs in the army. You could never find them and when you did, they just handed you the pump and only recorded how much on their clipboard. In the field they do 3 things, drive to and from the rear to pick up more fuel, sit at fuel snagging area to hand you the fuel pump, and sleep in their truck waiting for someone to wake them up. I was a 19k tanker, if I was able to rejoin the army and change my mos, it would be to 92f.
I was a 77Fox who worked on the Fuel System Supply Point (FSSP) aka "lego petroleum," and we NEVER handed the gas pump to anyone. Spilled fuel cleanups suck!
Your not wrong about what 92f do but trust me you don't want to do it. And when they're not in the field they get tasked to do anything because nobody thinks they work
Stationed at Fort Riley in the 1990's, our Armor battalion ran out of fuel once every couple of years. It was a weird radio call as when told to cease fire - freeze, it meant someone was injured. But when told to keep our engines off until we could get trucked back to the wash rack was new.
The logistics of large scale warfare is absolutely astonishing. When I first read about all of the logistics that went into the D-Day landings it blew my mind. They even built gigantic floating ports that they towed in across the channel to help unload ships. Seriously, if you haven't read about the planning and execution of that day, logistically, check it out because it is incredible how much work happened behind the scenes.
Very authoritative and well-presented. I can't help but think that this video would be required watching for our enemies. While it may not contain classified information per se, it gives our enemies a great understanding of how and when we move fuel. Perfect for a SWOT analysis.
Oh so that's how it works... As an authour thanks for this refernce as I don't think I could have found enough info on US army fuel logistics online in a timely manner... Also I don't think anything on the subject is as neatly put togather as this on the internet great job!
@@AddyEspresso Thats the way its done. Spent many a 12 hour shift driving round and round and round Ft Polk in low gear, to clear the storage tanks for the incoming fuel delivery.
The U.S. Army (or military for that matter) has the best logistics system in the world, able to shift entire corps to active theatres in only a couple weeks, and yet in an internal readiness study, they think they can improve. Incredible.
I was in the Marines deployed to a base in a very isolated place. I was amazed by the fuel delivery system. We had a fuel tank deliver to us. We didn't have many vehicles, but we had lots of gas generators. It was absolutely crucial to have fuel. I always wanted to know where it came from.
I’m wondering if you could cover how this logistics system would respond to equipment losses and how affecting fighting capacity would be. How would it work in a contested battlespace?
Try Afghanistan… Fuel got flown to forward operating bases (which is why the army got really interested in solar power - when your fuel costs $50/gal delivered…)
Before Desert Storm, we had three kinds of fuel in the inventory: gasoline for small engines like water pumps and air compressors, diesel for trucks, and jet fuel for the Abram’s tank and aviation. We moved so fast in Desert Storm that we couldn’t get enough of the right fuel in the right place (not unlike Patton in WW2 outrunning his gasoline supplies). This necessitated a change in army logistics: one fuel for the force. We changed over all the small engines from gasoline to jet fuel, and converted the trucks to run jet fuel. Diesels are pretty forgiving on fuel, and jet fuel is a cleaner type of diesel-ish fuel, so it wasn’t that expensive to convert the trucks.
Explanations about background processes like this really shows why and how the US has the greatest army in the world. It's an impressive system. And at the end of it all, all this is just to put a piece of lead in another person a little more effectively.
What a nightmare. So much can go wrong! I was a Tanker (Sheridan, M551) during the Vietnam Era, went to Germany 3rd Armored Division, did my 3 years then returned to Los Angeles and became a Los Angeles County emergency paramedic did that for 8 1/2 years used to fly with the LA County helicopter Division. In October 1978 I decided to go back into the army become a warrant officer and Blackhawk helicopter pilot I never gave much thought to where the fuel came from I just knew that when I went to get fuel it was there and there are other listen folks filling us up and I appreciate it with all those guys were the main life extremely difficult I got out retired in 1997 in a 2007 I was recalled back on active duty to support the 1st Cav Division and employee to Iraq due to lack of experienced war and ulcers and high time experience Blackhawk pilots I said sure why not the army gave to me so I’m gonna give back with my tour got out and Flew Civilian EMS Helicopters x 8 years. IT’s crazy how important Fuel is to the Military. I don’t look at our president is doing opens up the emergency reserve to lower the prices one $.17 a gallon he ships our fuel to Europe and he gives our reserve to freemen China. Total BS. It’s called emergency fuel reserve for a reason it’s not to lower the gas at the pumps it’s not to give to Europe and it’s not to give especially to China. Biden Phil for the Ukraine war and gives them all of our stock piles of missiles ammo MRIs fuel trucks so the corrupt Ukrainians can find the Soviets now we deplete our supplies that we need should we ever have to fight another war which we know is coming so blows my mind in this logistics lesson we just learned by watching this video so much could go wrong so many scenarios so many what if‘s take out one terminal take out one ship it’s like turning off the Spicket. Interesting video, you put a lot into this.
I deployed with a sustainment command to Afghanistan. People do not understand the WORK that goes into making sure Soldiers have Beans and Bullets. It’s no joke and is why we can kick ass when it needs to happen.
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Ok cool!
@@davisdelp8131 perhaps
@@davisdelp8131 Thanks bro. I am not personally LGBT but many in my community are
Now do the Logistics of Combined Ukraine Forces of All Kinds.
Jet Fuel ?
As a former Fuel and Water Platoon Leader for an ABCT, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this and credit you for your diligent research and the accuracy of information presented. This a tool that I will recommend to any new Logisticians handling fuel.
Thanks, it means a lot!
Foxtrots
Done em All 😂... From ground to air South to to North ASR n MSR...
@Brian Darling I can maneuver with the best of them, but it’s too bad they can’t keep up with logistics. As is apparent by the Army taking distribution platoons in ABCTs from maneuvers LTs and giving them back to logisticians. That’s including my hands on experience of working with them.
@@sgtJOOSEcapeS 92Fs just do it better
Retired Army Log officer, This is a great video and will pass along to other soldiers currently serving as an instructional tool. I don't even think ALU has something like this, it's all done via powerpoint.
Most of my work these days is translating DOD powerpoints into English lol
@@BattleOrder sounds like you should see if the DOD wants to pay you in an official capacity to do this.
@@breadman32398 Maybe if the TH-cam economy explodes
Pretty sure you'd find some nerds or something who are going bored in the lower ranks, so why not just put out a call for anyone who's has experience in doing video presentation -God knows there's got to be a few of them, just look! - and then have them update all of your procedures and stuff to be like I don't know video guides or some shit.
@@BattleOrder Just don't pass those translations back to DOD. It would expose that 90% of power point pushers are surplus to requirements as it would leave them with no means to justify their existence... Come to think of it, can you please do this work for the NZ government? Thanks.
Lol that “The Army can lay its own pipe” is a quote that can be felt on all kinds of ways 😂
As a retired Air Force Logistics officer, who worked a lot alongside Army sustainment troops I found this presentation to be very, very well done! A great overview how military logistics works esp. in theater.
Logistics are a very interesting topic and absolutely crucial to operations. And this video only explains the fuel distribution, I imagine the ammo, general stores, food and water requirements will be also huge.
The particulars are different, like oil tankers and pipelines vs. pallets of MREs, but once stuff is in theater the flow is pretty similar. Food in particular is pretty much identical to oil as far as the DLA > Sustainment Command > Sustainment Brigade > Maneuver unit pipeline because DLA procures it. Ammunition is fairly different in the procurement process, stockpiling and organizations involved, but not so much once it gets in theater
Once it gets to the brigade-level it's all pretty much the process explained at 9:30
Amateurs think about Strategy and Tactics Professionals think about Logistics.
@@BattleOrder can you make more logistics videos? I want to pass your videos to other soldiers as educational material. Thank you a lot for the excellent presentation. Where can one read more about it?
@@HideBuz all the manuals I referenced are listed in the description
Now imagine the pollution 😅😅
Loving how you talk about things that mostly go unnoticed in combat zones and wars...I love your videos, keep up the AMAZING work!!
Much appreciated!
Its gets noticed quite quickly if theres no fuel apparently :D
Damn, now THIS is the kind of content that makes me happy to be a patron. No clickbait bullshit, just a fantastically structured and well-animated explainer of one of the most under-appreciated parts of the modern military.
Former US Army paratrooper. It always impressed me how much effort the army put into getting us hot breakfast and coffee every morning.
As a non-American, the ability of the USA to wage war anywhere with this much power and size just amazes me.
*:)*
hey we sacrificed the futures of the next 5 generations at least to pay for all that so I would hope it would be impressive
We have to, we must project power, nobody has the wherewithal to come to us.
@@fbksfrank4 we really dont, thats just a lie you have been told so young american men will go fight and subjugate the rest of the world.
@@Graymenn no, in order to invade us you will require massive amounts of transportation and logistics. Nobody has it, nor the fuel carrying capacity or even food and water. In order for that to happen you must gather it together. A fat juicy target that will burn nicely, if you manage to get a fleet going, still needs a place to land, and we can cover all of our coast.
"soldiers wins battles, logistics wins wars."
a US general who happen to be named by tank nerds
I think it was "artillery wins wars"
@@Dankseid-o1u somebody may have said that, but it's not what General Pershing said.
Omar Bradley
@@Dankseid-o1u Not without the logistics behind it.
@@4T3hM4kr0n nope, that one is not from Bradley. He is the "Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics" guy.
I’m retired now. However, I have been the senior 92W40 in a Special Troops Battalion and the the senior 92W40 in 2 Sustainment Brigades in-charge of all water and fuel operations to the units in the Theater of Operations (TO). This video was by far a great way of showing other 92F, L & W Soldiers the big picture so they know how they fit into the TO, the importance of doing their jobs right and who is depending on them down range. Excellent video.
As an Armor Officer currently serving as a sustainer, this is a very informational video. Thank you
did they not teach you your job before tossing you in your position?
You only really are taught your section of it
@Graymenn maybe "this" is not exactly his job??
As someone who’s infantry it’s fascinating to watch these to learn about how modern war fighting actually works beyond just my tiny little piece of it
My father was a marine in WWII at just 15 years old. After the war he studied history in college, and his entire life focused on WWII. I asked him once why he spent so much time on WWII history. He said, "because as a grunt, they dont tell you anything. I am still learning out about historical battles taking place just over the hill from where I was standing". 😆
This is so interesting! Thank you!
It reminds me that some of the best generals started as Quartermasters, like General Ulysses S. Grant, or at least had a very good understanding of logistics, like General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Napoleon Bonaparte
And the biggest losers in war are where logistics are screwed up - like Russia in 1941 (lots of cutting edge tanks and aircraft but no fuel and ammunition for either (because those aren’t impressive on parade in Red Square)).
Russia still hasn’t learned that lesson about “short victorious wars”.
I honestly can’t imagine how hard it must have been to make a topic such as this digestible
It's definitely the most complicated video I've made lol
@@BattleOrder Logistics isn't "sexy", but low the day when the DFAC runs out of diet coke.
@@jameslynn7271 I say Coke is part of Class III of supply. The servicemember's muscles need lubrication, and Coke is lubrication !
And Coca-Cola is obviously the servicemember's fuel too ! Look at all those WW2 ads with servicemen greeting the locals across the globe with a Coke !
The Russians apparently couldn't make the topic palatable easier.
I was a 92F, all of these things I learned while in the service helped me become Supply Chain and Logistic professional I am today. makes me fuzzy to see someone talk about what used to be my world.
I was a PL in a medium truck company. I'm a proud commander of a Forward Support Company in an Assault Helicopter Battalion. GREAT VIDEO.
Four years of working in the building next to DLA and all I did was use their gym. I had no idea what they actually did and how it fit in... Thank you so much for this 😅
I love logistics videos! Your thorough research is a blessing.
Excellent video! As a Logistics officer, I use fuel as an example to show new Soldiers in our Sustainment Brigade where we fit in. It’s impressive to see how 1 million gallons of fuel PER DAY can get moved inland 500+ miles, and get stored in collapsible tanks.
This was enlightening. My company makes the collapsible fuel tanks for the military. This was very informative on how they are used.
Please please do more on sustainment and logistics! It’s a topic so laughably poorly covered by other documentaries ( saying banalities like “this is like when you people go shopping!”).
I love how you’re not afraid to go into detail. For someone who’s going down the rabbit hole of military logistics, this is the best on this subject I’ve seen:
Nobody moves without go-juice! I want to expand on the OPDS for a moment. At present, we have a single OPDS. Up until the mid 2000's we had 3. These three were 1960's era oil tankers that had an offshore mooring/POL transfer unit (barge that was sunk to the bottom as an anchor with a buoy attached), hose, and support boats strapped to the deck. In this form, they also had the first load of POL to go ashore onboard also. Problem is they were OLD and slow. By 2003 when I blew the doors off one of them doing a mere 19knots en route from the UAE to Diego Garcia (I think they were doing 10) they were already both totally obsolete and extremely expensive to maintain. By 2009, 2 were out of service and the oil field support vessel based unit in your video was in service. I just looked it up, some how the third one stuck around till 2020!
Great video explaining the less known aspects of logistics. Would love to see more videos like this focused on the units/people who are keeping the army up and functional.
And the editing makes it even more enjoyable to watch.
Tanks win battles.
Logistics win wars.
Wars are just a collection of battles. You need both to be victorious.
Even this brief overview bordered on mind-numbing...hats off to the loggies who keep it working when everything around them is going nuts!
Good summary!
Fantastic stuff, logistics doesn't get enough love.
I heard there's never a bridge or an airfield too far, so logistics doesn't matter. /s
Bring up the PIAT !
@@KenshiroPlayDotA hahaha
I was in a support unit back in the '90's instead of being back on the tank. I also was on tanks in the '80's when the Hemmts came out. I fail to recall being able to fuel more than two vehicsls at once.
Two thumbs up on this vid explaining how things get done. I really dig dude's wording and no b.s. talk.👍👍
That last one minute summary is 10/10. Great work!
As a backend software engineer I find things like this endlessly fascinating - there are those of us who make it happen behind the scenes so everyone else can do their job. : )
Much respect to all the heroes, known and unknown !
Seems like you think.youre a hero....you're not
@@CharlieNasty-cd5hu ???
"How the army gets fuel to the frontlines"
A line of fuel trucks that perpetually refuel each other?
I love how efficient how they do these operation I wonder how it had evolved from WWII-Cold War-Modern day.
That is taking something so simple and turning it into something so complex. A tactical rolling replen is all you need. Light work
Well done! My dad was stationed at HQ 21st Sup Comm in K-town when I was a kid. I never fully understood what they did, but I got the gist. Your video filled in a number of gaps. Really enjoyed it.
Most people think about the military only as soldiers on a battlefield without any appreciation for everything that non-combat service members do to facilitate combat operations. Thanks for shining a light on some of the unsung heroes in the Quartermaster Corps.
Ex-POL (2F0 - Fuels) from the USAF. This video is very well done. Interesting to see how everything is setup from the Army's POV. Have been out of that game for 15 or so years but seeing that we are all still using a lot of the same equipment as back then is amazing to see.
Additionally, was in Saudi during the buildup in 2003 you mentioned and you were spot on. Again, great work and video! WHO THE HELL?!!
Hint: The answer is POL.
As a career soldier and Desert Storm tank company XO, I can assure you that logistics make the world go round. Cool guys can't do cool stuff with fuel and ammo. Great video!
Logistics don’t get enough love, people always think about firepower and numbers.
Logistics is fascinating. Can you do an in-depth analysis on the supply system of the Viet Cong? It's very interesting to see how 'irregular' forces are supplied in the field. Great video. There was a great deal I didn't know about the fuel network system in Europe.
So glad you uploaded this as there's few videos going in detail about army logistics
Using this as research for an ILE paper I'm struggling with. Thank you!!
A lot less demand for fuel now then it was in the past. I read some place that each Armor and Mech Inf Division during Desert Storm used over a 1 million gallons of fuel a day during the ground offensive.
Army vehicles typically can go 300 miles per full tank of fuel. So if the army isn't moving it isn't burning that much fuel. But idling to run the radios and hydraulics uses fuel too. M1s without the little diesel APU use quite a few gallons per hour idling.
@@k53847 Back in Desert Storm we didn't have any APU..
Quite a difference than what I experienced 40 years ago as an artillery officer. Great video.
A very good video, especially on military logistics! More of these in the future, such as a video on the Red Ball Express!
@ArmyUniversityPress has a very good video on the Red Ball Express: th-cam.com/video/T6WCFwUrKrA/w-d-xo.html
@@BattleOrder 7:09 in the Red Ball Express video by AUP : Shovels, shovels everywhere !
@@BattleOrder Excellent link and well worth the time.
@@Token_Civilian Remember to record everything on VHS tapes and erase your wedding video for something more important, Nancy '44 ! th-cam.com/video/sMaacvisvH8/w-d-xo.html
Wow man first video I’ve ever seen from you, awesome video, you should do videos on www1 an 2 that are between 3-6 minutes long.
How do they get MREs to the front? Asking for a friend freezing in the cold.
The process is almost identical, minus specialty things like pipelines and oil tankers.
DLA purchases the MREs from manufacturers, the joint force gets them in-theater and delivers them to the Sustainment Commands responsible for the theater or corps area. The Sustainment Command's Sustainment Brigades have food supply/transport units that then deliver them to the brigade/division support area. As far as getting them from brigade level to the troops, food supplies would be included in the same logistics packages (LOGPAC) described at 9:30
@@BattleOrder so... Are they getting their MRE, and ammo in th same logistic point ?
or they hav different location to do that?
@@exgangster843 The company first sergeant (or XO or a supply sergeant) picks up everything at the same logistics release point (LRP)
@@exgangster843 in most cases its going to be all at one point with the different stations set up for each class of supply being issued. So you pull up to the forward supply point, go to the first station to refuel, next station to draw ammo, and finally go get food and water, although individual unit SOP's may slightly alter this process for different units.
May I suggest the best MRE, horseflesh seasoned with gunpowder ?
3:59 "The army can lay its own pipe..."
phrasing 😅😅
Seems fairly straightforwa... {boom) Oh dear, my head seems to have exploded.
Very nice vid. Top drawer.
I’m currently a 92F (petroleum supply specialist) this video is very well made!
As Mechanized Infantry in Germany in the late 80"s we would get food and ammo while refueling. never having to leave the armored vehicle. We use to run in Battalion task forces and i give them credit back then, we usually were moving out quickly. In NBC environment they would have Decon stations set up by Chemical Company's as part of the process. That is why Desert Storm ran so smooth after 45 years of training for the Russians.
Really amazed at how this was explained yet seems so complicated. Hats off to your skill and this video.
The Army can lay its own pipe. True in EUCOM and true at the home base NCO club of a deployed unit. Well played.
As a logi main in Squad, this give me goosebumps
This is the first time i see this side of operations and is very interesting.
imagine if all the resources used for war were used to actually help people that need. death and destruction is much higher priority in this hell hole
Psychopaths are in control.
American nuclear aircraft carriers use its own reactors to power a small city in a crisis, and the Army helps with rescue and disaster relief efforts whenever needed. Unfortunately if we don’t have weapons we will die by those who have them, pacifism is not a realistic expectation and is counter productive to a society that wants to keep its way of life.
The USAF Air Mobility Command has specialized units (ALCF) for setting up those austere airfields and you bet they include fuel infrastructure, mostly in vehicles and personnel that are in the initial wave. You hit the ground, offload the vehicles, offload fuel from your aircraft to fuel trucks, and launch them. Rinse, repeat.
This was way more interesting than expected, your video explained things excellently!
Makes me curious now about how the engineering forces work. River crossings, entrenching, mine clearing, construction, repairs, and more?? Would make for a great video, I'm sure.
Epic video! Could not hope to see something like this anywhere else.
I feel like I just chugged a gallon of Alphabet Soup.
Regardless of the usual normally-inscrutable military structur, this was a really great detailed look into how consumables support the mission! Great work and keep it up. Subscribed.
I was recommended to your videos.
Immediately I am impressed by the information and quality you have presented.
Brilliant work.
Lobbing artilley at the enemy might look cooler, but this is what wins wars.
Wow, super in depth video!
This was an excellent breakdown of fuel logistics. I had no idea how this works and appreciate the knowledge. Thank you!
Outstanding presentation. You took a complex subject matter and distilled in to an understandable and relatable presentation. Good job.
Russia: "You guys are getting your fuel to the frontline?"
Seem to recall an old saying to the effect of - “no one wants to pay for the training and detailed planning of the logistics department when there’s no war, but once the fighting starts then the Logistics units are like God & Santa” all in one as they manage to keep everything going with fuel, spare parts and all the rest!
Thankfully I found that both our British Logistics Command and our cousins from over the pond have invested resources into making logistics into “only slightly” less of a dark art, into something that most Royal Marine Commandos and our younger brothers of the USMC can understand and really appreciate! Semper Fi mates, it was an honour serving with you - and a fecking hoofing time when the top brass weren’t there!
With how complicated wars can get, it really is a miracle anything gets anywhere.
Great job. That is a tremendous amount of detail with which you managed to entertain and inform us.
I have been reading a diary by a Long Range Desert Group Trooper covering the early period of operations in the Western desert where Benzine as they called the fuel was transported in 4 Gallon square tins they called flimsies prone to seams breaking and fuel loss. They use the empties for cooking and some other chores. 3 ton trucks were used to pre-stock fuel dumps along various routes they used to out maneuver the Italian and German forces. Logistics has come a long way since then.
I've heard the real fuel guzzlers of an Armored Division are trucks, because there's thousands of the buggers as opposed to 300ish tanks.
92f has to be one of the shammest jobs in the army. You could never find them and when you did, they just handed you the pump and only recorded how much on their clipboard. In the field they do 3 things, drive to and from the rear to pick up more fuel, sit at fuel snagging area to hand you the fuel pump, and sleep in their truck waiting for someone to wake them up. I was a 19k tanker, if I was able to rejoin the army and change my mos, it would be to 92f.
I was a 77Fox who worked on the Fuel System Supply Point (FSSP) aka "lego petroleum," and we NEVER handed the gas pump to anyone. Spilled fuel cleanups suck!
Facts, it hurts my soul.
Nah man in aviation it’s a bunch of FARPs and running out to meet the pilots timeline
@@Halo47143 you've never seen a class III and class IV platoon actually work have you?
Your not wrong about what 92f do but trust me you don't want to do it. And when they're not in the field they get tasked to do anything because nobody thinks they work
Stationed at Fort Riley in the 1990's, our Armor battalion ran out of fuel once every couple of years. It was a weird radio call as when told to cease fire - freeze, it meant someone was injured. But when told to keep our engines off until we could get trucked back to the wash rack was new.
The logistics of large scale warfare is absolutely astonishing. When I first read about all of the logistics that went into the D-Day landings it blew my mind. They even built gigantic floating ports that they towed in across the channel to help unload ships. Seriously, if you haven't read about the planning and execution of that day, logistically, check it out because it is incredible how much work happened behind the scenes.
I’m just going to put this out there. I love ❤️ you. This is tremendously helpful man. Please make more Army Logistics Explanation vids. 👍🏼
Very authoritative and well-presented. I can't help but think that this video would be required watching for our enemies. While it may not contain classified information per se, it gives our enemies a great understanding of how and when we move fuel. Perfect for a SWOT analysis.
The things I didn't know, I didn't know.
Incredible. Thank you for this professional and thorough presentation.
Subbed and liked!
Dude this is amazing! I’d really love to see the process that goes into making the video from idea all the way through final product
Oh so that's how it works... As an authour thanks for this refernce as I don't think I could have found enough info on US army fuel logistics online in a timely manner... Also I don't think anything on the subject is as neatly put togather as this on the internet great job!
All the manuals I referenced are listed in the description but it's definitely not well laid out in one place lol
Thanks for taking your time out to explain that to us!
For completeness, you should include the laps round and round base in low gear, to burn up all the old fuel before the new shipment arrives.
@@springbloom5940 There has to be a better way of doing that
@@AddyEspresso
Thats the way its done. Spent many a 12 hour shift driving round and round and round Ft Polk in low gear, to clear the storage tanks for the incoming fuel delivery.
@@springbloom5940 It couldn't be used in some more productive way?
My god. This was epic! Holy information and graphics Batman!!! 🥳👏👏👏
Wow this is great! It’d be cool to see a video on army combat gear and uniforms.
The U.S. Army (or military for that matter) has the best logistics system in the world, able to shift entire corps to active theatres in only a couple weeks, and yet in an internal readiness study, they think they can improve. Incredible.
There is always room for improvement, but there needs to be resilience in any system to help deal with things going sideways.
Didn't expect to hear music from Conflict: Desert storm. Didn't expect I'd even recognize it. Very fitting!
I was listening to this while cleaning the house and got worried about the rumbling noises. Apparently it's your "moving the map" sound effect lmao.
I was in the Marines deployed to a base in a very isolated place. I was amazed by the fuel delivery system. We had a fuel tank deliver to us. We didn't have many vehicles, but we had lots of gas generators. It was absolutely crucial to have fuel. I always wanted to know where it came from.
I was not expecting a video this good. I have never been to this channel.
I’m wondering if you could cover how this logistics system would respond to equipment losses and how affecting fighting capacity would be. How would it work in a contested battlespace?
Try Afghanistan… Fuel got flown to forward operating bases (which is why the army got really interested in solar power - when your fuel costs $50/gal delivered…)
Great video. Something easy to digest and show the importance of line of logistics.
Before Desert Storm, we had three kinds of fuel in the inventory: gasoline for small engines like water pumps and air compressors, diesel for trucks, and jet fuel for the Abram’s tank and aviation. We moved so fast in Desert Storm that we couldn’t get enough of the right fuel in the right place (not unlike Patton in WW2 outrunning his gasoline supplies). This necessitated a change in army logistics: one fuel for the force. We changed over all the small engines from gasoline to jet fuel, and converted the trucks to run jet fuel. Diesels are pretty forgiving on fuel, and jet fuel is a cleaner type of diesel-ish fuel, so it wasn’t that expensive to convert the trucks.
Explanations about background processes like this really shows why and how the US has the greatest army in the world. It's an impressive system.
And at the end of it all, all this is just to put a piece of lead in another person a little more effectively.
I’ve never been so lost and confused in my life
What a nightmare. So much can go wrong! I was a Tanker (Sheridan, M551) during the Vietnam Era, went to Germany 3rd Armored Division, did my 3 years then returned to Los Angeles and became a Los Angeles County emergency paramedic did that for 8 1/2 years used to fly with the LA County helicopter Division. In October 1978 I decided to go back into the army become a warrant officer and Blackhawk helicopter pilot I never gave much thought to where the fuel came from I just knew that when I went to get fuel it was there and there are other listen folks filling us up and I appreciate it with all those guys were the main life extremely difficult I got out retired in 1997 in a 2007 I was recalled back on active duty to support the 1st Cav Division and employee to Iraq due to lack of experienced war and ulcers and high time experience Blackhawk pilots I said sure why not the army gave to me so I’m gonna give back with my tour got out and Flew
Civilian EMS Helicopters x 8 years.
IT’s crazy how important Fuel is to the Military. I don’t look at our president is doing opens up the emergency reserve to lower the prices one $.17 a gallon he ships our fuel to Europe and he gives our reserve to freemen China. Total BS. It’s called emergency fuel reserve for a reason it’s not to lower the gas at the pumps it’s not to give to Europe and it’s not to give especially to China. Biden Phil for the Ukraine war and gives them all of our stock piles of missiles ammo MRIs fuel trucks so the corrupt Ukrainians can find the Soviets now we deplete our supplies that we need should we ever have to fight another war which we know is coming so blows my mind in this logistics lesson we just learned by watching this video so much could go wrong so many scenarios so many what if‘s take out one terminal take out one ship it’s like turning off the Spicket. Interesting video, you put a lot into this.
Have been looking for a video like this, thanks
Just really reinforces of the number one things I was told, never piss off supply.
You did an excellent job on this. Thanks.
I deployed with a sustainment command to Afghanistan. People do not understand the WORK that goes into making sure Soldiers have Beans and Bullets. It’s no joke and is why we can kick ass when it needs to happen.
As an elite us army navy seal sniper and monster truck driver I find this video very very good.
As a curent FSC Commander, I'd have to say this was awesome.
Fantastic video...Now, just imagine all the other stuff, besides fuel.....
As a normal joe, I'm just here to say I now love logistics. Well done!