bootsontheground 07/16/10
Fighting Us Where We Aren't
One very frustrating aspect of fighting a war in a landlocked country is the difficulty of resupply. Keeping our troops in beans, bullets and bombs has become the most expensive aspect of the war at a time when secretary Gates is already having to beg for every dime from a foot-dragging democratic congress.
On one trip to Afghanistan I rode to Kandahar on a C-17 aircraft that was carrying several new M-ATV trucks, the mammoth mine-resistant vehicles made specifically for Afghanistan's rugged landscape. The trucks themselves cost over $600,000 apiece, but I would venture to say it costs almost that much again to transport them a few at a time via air.
Why aren't we shipping them in overland? Well, the only port we can use is in Pakistan, and the route from there to Kabul is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the world. This is a major problem, and it's getting bigger.
The Taliban have figured out that they can squeeze our supply lines with very little danger to themselves by attacking the convoys of equipment that come through Pakistan. These convoys are not heavily guarded and contain no US personnel. All of the truck drivers (who are paid a king's ransom for their efforts) are Pakistani. But the attacks have become more frequent, and the Taliban have begun threatening and sometimes executing the drivers, that now even the most intrepid Pak truck driver is having second thoughts.
Containers of supplies meant for our troops are stacking up at the port, and there aren't enough drivers willing to transport them. Because of our relationship with Pakistan, we are not allowed to guard the convoy. This is driving up the price of everything, and threatens our ability to keep the troops supplied at the height of the "fighting season."
If Congress doesn't approve the war appropriations bill very, very soon, our troops will begin to feel the pinch at the worst possible time.
Stay tuned.
On one trip to Afghanistan I rode to Kandahar on a C-17 aircraft that was carrying several new M-ATV trucks, the mammoth mine-resistant vehicles made specifically for Afghanistan's rugged landscape. The trucks themselves cost over $600,000 apiece, but I would venture to say it costs almost that much again to transport them a few at a time via air.
Why aren't we shipping them in overland? Well, the only port we can use is in Pakistan, and the route from there to Kabul is one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the world. This is a major problem, and it's getting bigger.
The Taliban have figured out that they can squeeze our supply lines with very little danger to themselves by attacking the convoys of equipment that come through Pakistan. These convoys are not heavily guarded and contain no US personnel. All of the truck drivers (who are paid a king's ransom for their efforts) are Pakistani. But the attacks have become more frequent, and the Taliban have begun threatening and sometimes executing the drivers, that now even the most intrepid Pak truck driver is having second thoughts.
Containers of supplies meant for our troops are stacking up at the port, and there aren't enough drivers willing to transport them. Because of our relationship with Pakistan, we are not allowed to guard the convoy. This is driving up the price of everything, and threatens our ability to keep the troops supplied at the height of the "fighting season."
If Congress doesn't approve the war appropriations bill very, very soon, our troops will begin to feel the pinch at the worst possible time.
Stay tuned.