NATO logistics in the Afghan
War refers to the efforts of the NATO International Security Assistance Force to
deliver vital fuel, food, hardware and other logistic supplies to Afghanistan in
support of the War in Afghanistan (2001-present). Delivery of supplies is done
using a combination of air transport and a series of overland supply routes.
There are two routes which pass through Pakistan, and several other routes which
pass through Russia and the Central Asian states. Following the 2011 NATO attack
in Pakistan, the Pakistan routes were closed, but reopened on July 3, 2012.
BACKGROUND
Since Afghanistan is a landlocked country, supplies must pass through other
countries in order to reach it, or else be shipped by air. Since air shipping is
prohibitively expensive, NATO forces tend to rely on ground routes. This is
either by shipping goods by sea to the Pakistani port of Karachi or by shipping
them through Russia and the Central Asian states.
Air routes
All munitions, whether small arms ammunition, artillery shells, or missiles, are
transported by air. However, airlifting supplies costs up to ten times as much
as transporting them through Pakistan. In order to reduce costs, these goods are
often shipped by sea to ports in the Persian Gulf and then flown into
Afghanistan. The air supply effort at the beginning of the war was the third
largest in history.
Pakistan route
There are two routes from Pakistan to Afghanistan (both were closed in November
2011 following the Salala incident and reopened in July 2012). Both routes start
in Karachi,From there, one route crosses the Khyber Pass, enters Afghanistan at
Torkham, and terminates at Kabul, supplying northern Afghanistan. This route is
approximately 1,000 miles long. The other passes through Balochistan Province,
crosses the border at Chaman, and ends at Kandahar, in the south of Afghanistan.
NATO used these routes to transport fuel and other supplies, but not for
weapons. The Pakistan routes, until their closure, provided most of the fuel for
NATO efforts in Afghanistan. In 2007, the military was burning 575,000 gallons
of fuel per day, and 80% of this fuel came from Pakistani refineries.The fuel
storage capacity for forces at Bagram and Kabul air bases was less than 3
million gallons, making NATO efforts highly dependent on the Pakistani supply
lines. NATO began working to reduce this dependency, building an additional 3
million gallons of storage space at Bagram Air Base in 2007. In 2010, the
American military increasing storage capacity.
Anti-American sentiments in the country the Pakistani government is reluctant to
reopen the lines[15] and postponed its decision until the United States has
responded positively to Pakistani demands outlined in the parliamentary
recommendations. such as an U.S. apology over for November 2011 NATO strike on
Pakistani checkposts, the bringing of those involved in the strike to justice
and a stop of the U.S. drone airstrikes. Pakistani officials said they cannot
open the NATO supply routes in Afghanistan without the apology. Pakistan decided
to reopen the supply lines after US Secretary of State apologized on July 3,
2012 for the Salala incident. An agreement was signed on 31 July 2012 between
U.S and Pakistani officials which will allow NATO supply convoys to cross into
Afghanistan from Pakistan up to the end of 2015, one year beyond the deadline
for withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.
Northern Distribution Network
Afghanistan also borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, so alternate
supply routes, termed the Northern Distribution Network, exist to move supplies
into Afghanistan through these countries. However, these routes are longer and
costlier than the routes through Pakistan.
History
The Northern Distribution Network was established in 2009 in response to the
increased risk of sending supplies through Pakistan. Initial permission for the
U.S. military to move troop supplies through the region was given on January 20,
2009, The first shipment along the NDN left on February 20, 2009.
After Pakistan closed its borders to supplies coming in and equipment and
material leaving Afghanistan in the wake of the Salala incident the NATO
alliance in Afghanistan began using the northern distribution route almost
immediately as alternative supply routes. In early June 2012 NATO signed deals
with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to use their territory for evacuating
vehicles and military equipment from Afghanistan and the cost of the northern
supply route is nearly double that of the Pakistani route, but at least it’s
cheaper than flying all that equipment out by air, which costs the US military
$14,000 per ton.