Logistically Supporting Mountain Operations

1. Logistically Supporting Mountain Operations As of: 28 Nov 09

2. Purpose • Provide planners an automated tool that can help them figure out what support is required to move supplies in a mountainous environment.

3. References / Source Data • Ground Combat at High Altitude, http://www.smallwars.quantico.usmc.mil/search/LessonsLearned/afghanistan/groundcombat.asp • FM 3_05-213, Special Forces Use of Pack Animals • FM 3-97.6, Mountain Operations

4. Elevation: 4,473 m Distance from SP: 8.5 km Slope changes to -9% 4,570 m 11.82 km from SP Elevation: 3,966 m Distance from SP: 9.5 km Slope changes to +7% • Situation: Your command has decided to expand operations outside of the cities. The enemy is conducting small raids in the area, demoralizing the locals, who currently support your forces. • Task: Identify the requirements to build a combat outpost at designated location able to sustain an infantry platoon. Must be established within 15 days in order to facilitate future operations • Conditions: • No allocation of helicopters. • Must be build using pack animals and porters. • Unit vehicles can’t transit the slopes. • Start location is a local village that can provide support and is the point of origin for resupply. • Standards: • Movement of 400 lbs of supplies each day is required for 15 days in order to meet this requirement Elevation: 3,448 m Distance from SP: 5.19 km Slope changes to +9% Start point Elevation: 2,848 m Slope: +2%

5. Porter Planning Factors This table provides you will the amount of weight, speed and length of time that you can expect to move supplies in a 24 hour period. It provides the basis for the later calculations. If you find that you can exceed these numbers, change them and your subsequent calculations will adjust.

6. Porters Analyze both the trip out and back! Travel time and rest cycles will change • Based on your discussion with the locals in the area you can count on 10 porters to help move supplies. Since you don’t entirely trust this number, plan for a 75% availability. • Since your concerned about security during the movements, your soldiers won’t be carrying supplies • Movement will be by foot • Nuances of the program • Assumes that you will leave everything loaded and won’t move equipment in stages (i.e. building mini-piles at different stages along the route) • It was designed for slopes that don’t exceed 10%. Until I’m given a better planning rate, take the march speed with a grain of salt. What does # of rest cycles (% of 24 hours) mean? It represents the percentage of the work day that has been used up. When you get to 100%, your party needs to rest for the remainder of the day. If you travel more each day you are violating your own pace of movement (therefore double penalizing your planned rate).

7. Pack Animals Planning Factors This chart assumes that the pack animals will have to carry their food and water, thus decreasing their carrying capacity. On the next page you can customize this. Red cells are unconfirmed numbers. I assumed that the daily water and dry feed requirement for all animals is 2% of their body weight. If this is incorrect you can change the # to update the planning factors.

8. Pack Animals • Talking with the locals, you’ve been able to contract for some pack animals to help you with the movement of supplies. As you can see this dramatically increases the speed in which you can build up. • Considerations: • Water and feed for the animals along the route will provide drastic weight savings. Planning movement rates for pack animals is the same as porters, so you can use the same chart as slide 6.

9. Questions / Comments Programmer: MAJ Damian Green Damian.green@us.army.mil