US Transportation Command has devised a “pallet sandwich” approach to moving military material around the globe, with the introduction of the Associate Intermodal Platform, an 82-inch by 10-inch by 8 inch rectangle of plastic that looks like a large burnt waffle. Cargo is loaded up on the AIP, which is then strapped onto the traditional—and more expensive—silver 463L pallet. Why the seeming redundant “sandwich”? Cost. The 463L costs more than four times as much as the AIP. The problem was that the 463L was also very popular on the receiving end, where troops often keep them to use as tent flooring. TRANSCOM officials estimate the new dual pallet system “equates to a $1.3 million cost avoidance per 1,000 pallets sent into theater.” The cargo will still be on a pallet that will see it through to its final destination. Don’t look for them yet, though. The new AIPs are still in development and heading into test mode.
A new think tank report calls for a buildup of U.S. drones and munitions needed for a potential fight against the Chinese military over Taiwan, thought other experts argue the report is missing some nuance in the munitions equation.
