Army Transportation Movements Management

Spearhead of Logistics is a narrative branch history of the U.S. Army's Transportation Corps, first published in 1994 for transportation personnel and reprinted in 2001 for the larger Army community. The Quartermaster Department coordinated transportation support for the Army until World War I revealed the need for a dedicated corps of specialists. The newly established Transportation Corps, however, lasted for only a few years. Its significant utility for coordinating military transportation became again transparent during World War II, and it was resurrected in mid-1942 to meet the unparalleled logistical demands of fighting in distant theaters. Finally becoming a permanent branch in 1950, the Transportation Corps continued to demonstrate its capability of rapidly supporting U.S. Army operations in global theaters over the next fifty years. With useful lessons of high-quality support that validate the necessity of adequate transportation in a viable national defense posture, it is an important resource for those now involved in military transportation and movement for ongoing expeditionary operations. This text should be useful to both officers and noncommissioned officers who can take examples from the past and apply the successful principles to future operations, thus ensuring a continuing legacy of Transportation excellence within Army operations. Additionally, military science students and military historians may be interested in this volume.

This manual describes the organizations, processes, procedures, and systems involved in the control of movements across the military spectrum. The focus of this manual is for the reader to gain an understanding of the movement control system and how it functions from the strategic to the tactical level. It focuses on the planning, controlling, and managing of the use of available modes of transport to move units, equipment, and materiel. It also describes transportation request procedures, container operations, and how transportation resources are controlled and managed.

This manual describes the organizations, processes, procedures, and systems involved in the control of movements across the military spectrum. The focus of this manual is for the reader to gain an understanding of the movement control system and how it functions from the strategic to the tactical level. It focuses on the planning, controlling, and managing of the use of available modes of transport to move units, equipment, and materiel. It also describes transportation request procedures, container operations, and how transportation resources are controlled and managed. The Chief of Staff of the Army has mandated that the Army be able to move a combat capable brigade anywhere in the world within 96 hours. To put a viable combat capability on the ground anywhere in the world in this time frame will require effective movement control. This manual remains consistent with Army operations, logistics doctrine, and concepts currently published or in the process of being published. However, the reader is cautioned that logistics doctrine is changing - and changing rapidly. The on-going efforts to reduce the Army logistics footprint and move to the Objective Force will require doctrinal change. Users acting within the scope of their authority may vary from this doctrine in this manual when such variation will result in improved operations. The Army's environmental strategy into the 21st century defines its philosophy and commitment in protecting and preserving the environment and natural resources for present and future generations. Sound environmental practices and considerations must be integrated into all Army documents, missions, and operations. In keeping with the Army's vision to be a national leader in environmental stewardship, commanders and leaders must ensure that all local, state, federal, and host nation laws and regulations pertaining to the environment are included in the planning process and followed to an extent consistent with operational considerations.