The U.S. Army's Deployment to the Spanish American War and our Future Strategic Outlook

Abstract

Abstract : 1998 MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE Spanish-American War. The author attempts to look back at the logistical deployment during the Spanish-American War and make a comparison to the logistical deployment during our most recent war, Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Both wars were a tremendous success and required the rapid movement of equipment, materiel, and personnel to project U.S. Combat Power. The author argues, however, that from a logistical perspective many of the same shortcomings from both wars remain, and if unresolved, will create significant challenges for logisticians and military leaders in the future. The study maintains that an effective continental United States (CONUS)-based deployment strategy is critical to the Armed Forces capability to project its forces rapidly. It concludes by proposing specific recommendations to deal with these challenges.