U.S. soldiers practice hooking up a sling load to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in Powidz, Poland, on Nov. 30, 2023. (Elsi Delgado/ U.S. Army)

POWIDZ, Poland — A U.S. Army sustainment brigade on NATO’s eastern flank has begun using airlifts to get supplies to troops faster in connection with a push to better prepare forces for quick-reaction missions in a crisis.

The 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, headquartered at Fort Stewart, Ga., has long relied on mechanized ground delivery systems to supply troops in the field.

But unit leaders say slow-moving ground convoys are now insufficient given the volatile security environment in which the soldiers now work.

“We are building a tool kit that allows a commander to say yes to a mission,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marco Villecco, the senior air drop systems technician. “We walk them through what it would take to air-drop or sling-load equipment and explain what they can and can’t move. That helps them make informed decisions when comparing air and ground transportation.”

Mechanized sustainment relies heavily on truck convoys to move fuel, ammunition and equipment along predictable routes. While effective in permissive environments, those routes can become vulnerabilities in high-intensity conflict, where logistics units are often high-value targets.

By moving select supplies by air, the brigade can bypass damaged infrastructure and threatened routes, allowing critical materiel to reach forward units more quickly, unit officials said.

U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade train on sling-load operations at 33rd Air Base in Powidz, Poland, on Dec. 16, 2025. (Dean Johnson/ U.S. Army)

U.S. soldiers conduct sling-load training with a CH-47 Chinhook in Zamosc, Poland, on Mar.18, 2022. (James Bourgeois/ U.S. Army)

U.S. soldiers assigned to the 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade inspect the rigging on a high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle during sling-load training in Powidz, Poland on Dec. 16, 2025. (Dean Johnson/ U.S. Army)

“Operating in Europe means we have to be prepared to move and sustain forces across long distances and complex terrain,” Villecco added. “Here in Poland, we’re supporting units spread across a wide area, often far from established infrastructure.”

The operations are supported by UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, sad Chief Warrant Officer 2 Trevor Fairbaugh, an airspace manager.

“With sling-load operations, we’re able to move supplies or equipment externally beneath the aircraft and deliver them directly to where units need them,” Fairbough said. “That allows us to support locations that may be difficult or impossible to reach by ground.”

Fewer convoys on the road means fewer soldiers exposed to ambushes, surveillance or accidents. It also reduces the predictability of logistics movements, complicating an adversary’s ability to target sustainment operations, Army officials said.

Still, as Russia’s war in Ukraine has shown, helicopters also are vulnerable targets in a high-end fight. When it comes to logistics and resupplying forces, Ukrainian troops have increasingly turned to unmanned delivery systems to protect troops.

So far, the brigade has not incorporated unmanned delivery systems into its operations, focusing instead on refining manned aerial delivery capabilities that align with its current structure and available expertise, according to Villecco.

But as the unit continues refining its aerial resupply operations, the goal remains simple: ensure that fuel, ammunition and supplies reach soldiers when and where they are needed when traditional routes are no longer viable.

“We’re definitely in the crawl phase right now,” Villecco said. “Even without connecting to an aircraft yet, we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to conduct these operations specifically in Poland.”