Principally working on the joint operations center bridge in Bagram, Afghanistan, during his March 2004 to March 2005 deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Major Joseph Rawlings served as the CJ4 battle captain for Combined Joint Task Force 76 and, in addition, "retained responsibility for tracking and reporting the aviation maintenance status for CJTF-76 as well." From his vantage point in the JOC, Rawlings said that he "saw the battle play out in front of me for that entire time," and in this interview he shares a wealth of experiences and insights concerning everything from "why it is we kept running out of fuel in Afghanistan" and the Impact Award he received for his work in remedying this problem, to the aircraft requisition process following the death of Corporal Pat Tillman. Mainly responsible for current logistics operations throughout CJTF-76, especially fuel tracking, Rawlings was also involved with mortuary affairs - principally ensuring transportation was coordinated; assisting the G4 planner by working on base orders and writing over 50 fragmentary orders; as well as hosting the weekly logistics assessment review board and the weekly logistics roundup. Focusing in large part on the often tenuous fuel situation in Afghanistan, Rawlings details his efforts to secure an alternative northern route of supply, easing the burden on coalition forces that resulted from previously having only a single overland route, originating in Pakistan. Indeed, as he noted, prior to this, operations had to be either ceased or curtailed at times of diminished supply. "It was the logistics tail that was driving the train at that point," said Rawlings about one particularly bad week fuel supply wise. "So if anybody ever wants to say logistics does not control maneuver, that was a week where that was not the case." He also talks at length about a variety of Class IX repair parts issues and the difficulties he faced navigating the "convoluted system" of obtaining transportation in Afghanistan. "Unfortunately," he said, "I don't think we'll get there anytime soon if we in the Army are completely shielding our rotary-wing from being tapped. We want to set those aside for deliberate operations, for raids and air movements of troops. FedEx doesn't have someone asking for its trucks to suddenly become a SWAT team's truck every now and then." In closing, Rawlings discusses his views on and involvement in the Afghan elections, the importance of weaning the country off its dependence on Pakistan, and also thoughtfully reflects on the nature of combined/coalition operations. He stresses the need for US officers to receive frank and straightforward briefings on the capabilities (or lack thereof) of different countries we might be allied militarily with, and also insists that his peers - and the Army in general - should consider the pinnacle of one's career being reached when they've "been successful in an overarching, joint environment," because, as he put it, "joint staff is where we need the best officers right now."

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