Abstract: The successes of American military power in recent years relied greatly on the effective movement of massive quantities of materiel. Trucks, trains, and ships carrying intermodal containers delivered most of this materiel. The commercial transportation industry developed this intermodal support capability over time beginning with the introduction of the railroads in the early nineteenth century. The military quickly adapted the various ongoing developments for martial purposes. Since those earliest developments in transport, intermodal shipping, as a continuation of a revolution in military affairs related to the Industrial Revolution, progressed from piece loads, to break-bulk, to the intermodal containers of today. The power projection capability of the modern American military directly benefited from the convergence of these ongoing developments in logistics-related technology, organization, and doctrine. With this capability come certain limitations and risks. This paper assesses containerization and the strategic implications for CONUS-based power projection by the United States military in the future.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Description: |
Research paper |
| Pages: |
31 |
| Report Date: |
27-May-2009 |
| Report Number: |
A982805 |
|
|
|
|
Keywords relating to this report:
