text: Chapter 7
  FM 4-01 for more information about Army transportation planning, command relationships, and overall
  capabilities to the joint force. See ATP 4-15 for more a more detailed discussion about the techniques of
  planning for and employing Army watercraft.)
  7-75. Commercial shipping organizations may provide movement assets, but they require increased planning
  and support due to a lack of organic protection systems. The theater army’s contribution to transportation
  during combat operations in a maritime environment may be to protect lighterage operations. Lighterage is
  the process in which small craft are used to transport cargo or personnel from ship-to-shore using amphibians,
  landing craft, discharge lighters, causeways, and barges (JP 4-01.6). It can also transfer equipment and
  personnel between ships or for intratheater transport. Lighterage includes landing craft and modular
  causeway systems, such as ferries. To facilitate port operations at joint intermediate staging bases, Army
  forces provide and operate float utility watercraft, such as harbor and ocean-going tugs, pusher tugs, floating
  cranes, barges, floating causeways, and roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities. Once sustainment assets are
  positioned to support specific tactical operations, it is difficult and time consuming to reposition them when
  priorities shift.
  7-76. For inter-theater and intra-theater air transportation operations by fixed-wing assets, the TSC is
  responsible for consolidating, prioritizing, and processing aerial resupply requests. A division or corps
  aviation officer determines consolidation and synchronization of rotary-wing movement based on the
  commander’s priorities. Intra-theater rotary-wing movement in a JOA requires aircrews trained and equipped
  for deck landing and overwater flight operations.
  7-77. Army forces provide operational medical support to the joint force. Although military medical forces
  are afforded protection under the law of armed conflict from being directly targeted, the geographic
  constraints associated with providing medical support to forces on islands, in likely proximity to combatant
  forces or key terrain, coupled with the effects of long-range fires, increases risks to medical forces and
  facilities. Hardening of medical care facilities in exposed locations, like on small or remote islands, is crucial
  to maintaining hospital survival. Additionally, threats from nonstate actors upon medical facilities and
  capabilities may require increased protection measures. Units may need to rely on ship-based medical
  facilities during initial operations, which requires joint planning and coordination. Higher-level care facilities
  also place an increased demand on certain classes of supply, which may be difficult to transport, have special
  storage requirements (for example, refrigeration), and be difficult to off-load in remote island locations. (See
  FM 4-0 for more information on the Army's operational medical support to the joint force.)
  7-78. The lethality of large-scale combat operations can devastate both the social fabric and the economic
  viability of small islands where construction assets may be limited even before conflict occurs. Early
  establishment of base security and maintaining viable governance may largely depend on the repair of critical
  port and airfield infrastructure. A JTF commander may use either operational contract support or request
  military engineers to repair facilities during combat operations (or improve their survivability prior to combat
  operations).
  7-79. In the Arctic, base infrastructure materials across the region need to have high thermal efficiency,
  long-term durability, tolerance to repeated freeze and thaw cycles, and resistance to permafrost degradation.
  Infrastructure in many austere locations has already deteriorated due to extreme environmental factors. It can
  also complicate force sustainment operations as roadways, seaports, and airfields are potentially rendered
  inoperable by ice, snow, seasonal thaws, and freeze cycles. Class IV construction material resupply for arctic
  use may have long lead times. Therefore, infrastructure to be used by military units deployed to arctic areas
  should be inspected as soon as possible to identify deterioration and inadequate systems.