US Transportation Command enlisted the help of USAF aerial porters to test a new Joint Modular Intermodal Distribution concept—a new means to deliver cargo to austere locations without the need for onsite materiel handling equipment, reports Maj. Chris Allen. Airmen of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron, McGuire AFB, N.J., helped show that cargo loaded on a modular intermodal platform could be loaded onto an aircraft and offloaded at an austere airstrip using a prototype tactical truck. Congress approved $36 million for TRANSCOM to explore the JMIDS technology, which could further reduce the number of convoys needed to deliver supplies to troops at remote locations in Southwest Asia.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…