Steve Geary

Last fall, DC VELOCITY Editor at Large Steve Geary wrote about the role of supply chain initiatives in helping rebuild the Iraqi economy ("can a supply chain promote peace?" November 2007). At the time, Geary was deployed in Iraq, working as a member of a team charged with promoting employment in the war-torn nation. In this follow-up article, he looks at developments in that initiative in the months since he filed his initial report.

It's not every day that a snake eater (Special Forces operator) rises to the top of TRANSCOM, the U.S. military's transportation command. But Gen. Norton Schwartz has done just that.

Mail from home means the world to troops stationed in far-away, often dangerous places. A special unit of the services goes to great lengths to make sure the mail gets through, whatever the obstacles.

The military command in Iraq hopes that U.S. purchasing power can help rebuild Iraqi business and employment, thereby promoting peace. That may mean accepting a less-than-optimal supply chain, but military leaders insist it's worth the risk.

All jokes aside, you have to marvel at a meal in a bag that can be stored for three years and tossed from a helicopter ... and still beats airline food any day.

When choosing a site for a new DC, you have to think about what works best for the network, not the node. The key: a holistic network design approach.

The Defense Department is looking to outsource the management of its domestic freight?a contract that could run into the billions of dollars. The program is intended to cut costs and boost service; it could also shake up the industry.

The smartest bomb or the stealthiest cruise missile won't do a warfighter much good if the launcher is sidelined for repairs. A look at the Pentagon's bold new plan for keeping its weapons systems combat ready.

As conventional warfare gives way to the era of the swarming, flexible, agile fighting force, big changes are in store for the battalions responsible for clothing, feeding and equipping the troops. Here's how the Pentagon is transforming a sluggish supply chain into a streamlined hypernetworked model for the digital age.