Airlift Operations In Afghanistan

Afghanistan has long been a land where conquering armies have the most difficult operations. The terrain and the weather are unforgivable, with snowcapped mountain ranges as high as 24,000 feet, and an indigenous population who have been fighting for hundreds if not thousands of years. Afghanistan’s location is definitely not an ideal operational theater for a democratic republic like the United States, with rouge, failed, and transitioning states surrounding the landlocked country. These conditions make it extremely difficult to accomplish fighting force sustainment, at least when it comes to distribution. Below are examples of how forces in Afghanistan have been able to maintain sustainment operations, and how the enemy has attempted to disrupt it.
Army Aviation has been a significant asset in the success of ongoing sustainment operations in Afghanistan. Aviation has given commanders the freedom of movement in all three major sustainment elements: logistics, personnel services, and health service support. Sustainment operations in mountainous terrain has been made possible due to the versatility of the heavy lift helicopter. When it comes to personnel, supplies, and evacuation of wounded, the Blackhawks and Chinooks have the instrumental in the success of sustainment operations. However, not everything in Afghanistan can be done by helicopter or fixed wing