Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group
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to be shipped anywhere in the world, and you can be sure that<br />
when it gets there, it will be a safe and secure shelter for your<br />
product. Just plug it in and start.”<br />
STORAGE CONTAINERS<br />
Making the most of the interior of modular containers as<br />
Baker described is the business of Stanley Vidmar Tough Storage<br />
Solutions. Echoing Baker’s thoughts is Melvin Hamner, government<br />
sales manager for Stanley Vidmar. “The traditional 20–40<br />
foot sea/land containers are cumbersome, especially when you<br />
get into Third World countries. That’s where these Quadcons,<br />
Tricons and Bicons come into play.” He adds, “The Army is<br />
tasked with inter-theater transportation, centered around primary<br />
load systems [PLSs], trucks, flat bed trucks, etc.; a variety<br />
of vehicles are used once the stuff gets in theater. We are trying<br />
to meet the next great challenge for our military, and that<br />
is to give them a dual-purpose platform for their tools, their<br />
bench stock, nuts, bolts, etc.—where they can work out of these<br />
cabinets and containers back in garrison, but then pick them up<br />
with a minimum of effort, load them into these transportable<br />
containers, block and brace them for sea lift, and move forward<br />
to the war zone.”<br />
The advantage of the modular concept of using the Quadcons,<br />
Tricons and Bicons is the ability to break down shipments<br />
to unit specific loads, i.e., a squad, a battalion or a company. So<br />
when the consignment arrives in theater and the battalion needs<br />
to split it up into various areas of responsibility (AORs), it is basically<br />
already done. “It’s a major man-hour saver,” says Hamner.<br />
“We used to spend days sorting out these containers when they’d<br />
arrive. There were many containers never even opened during<br />
Dessert Storm, because no one really knew what was in them.”<br />
To avoid anything like that happening again, Hamner says<br />
changes need to be made, but you don’t necessarily have to reinvent<br />
the wheel. “Stanley Vidmar is partnered with several of the<br />
major container companies, and we work in unison with them,<br />
but our goal is to work with [the military’s] existing assets. We<br />
don’t want them to necessarily have to buy a container just to<br />
move their stuff, which is why we have developed these container<br />
inserts that also act as stand-alone cabinets, and combined tool<br />
boxes.”<br />
EQUIPMENT CASES<br />
From standard to special ops, today’s military deploys a lot of<br />
equipment. Much of that gear is sensitive and fragile. During the<br />
course of shipment or troop movement, essential communications<br />
and weapon systems will experience pounding conditions.<br />
Wind, sand, extreme temperatures, shock and vibration are just a<br />
few hazards to sensitive military equipment. A piece of gear does<br />
a soldier no good if it’s DOA, and that’s where specialized cases<br />
made “military tough” play an essential logistical role.<br />
“Typically the real purpose of a case is to protect the equipment<br />
inside, and get it into the field in one piece so the soldier<br />
has the tools he or she needs to do his or her job,” said Paul Britton,<br />
national sales manager for Zarges, a major supplier of rugged<br />
aluminum cases to the military. He continued, “Increasingly<br />
over the years, more and more of that gear is commercial gear.<br />
So it just has not been designed to operate in the environment<br />
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DECEMBER 23, 2008<br />
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