The Importance of Military Packaging

It Wasn’t Always Easy

The importance of military packaging is quite simple: preservation. It’s been that simple since the military started shipping supplies to soldiers. But it’s never been that easy. It took decades to modernize military packaging.

During World War II, defense leaders quickly realized failure to protect equipment or supplies could lead to unfavorable missions. The packaging of the past wasn’t going to cut it. What worked domestically, didn’t work for military purposes. In order for soldiers to be battlefield ready, equipment and supplies needed to be protected at all costs.

Lessons Learned from WWII

In the early 1940s, in the midst of World War II, both the Army and Navy suffered major supply loses overseas, according to the Defense Logistics Agency. Water damage proved to be a detriment to our troops, but a lesson was learned. The military started seriously talking about updating shipping methods to a more efficient process.

Shortly after the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941, semblances of military standards started popping up for canned goods shipped overseas. By early 1945, talks of making military packaging specifications more uniform started taking shape, but not without its challenges over the years.

Modernized Specifications

The history of military packaging is riddled with hurdles and complications, but over the decades those hardships have helped standardize Military Spec Packaging (MIL-SPEC) requirements. Below are some of the most common MIL-SPEC codes:

MIL-STD-129 – Military Standard Marking for Shipment and Storage
MIL-STD-130 – Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property
MIL-STD-2073 – DoD Standard Practice for Military Packaging

The U.S. Department of Defense’s packaging specifications are intended to protect military supplies during short-term or long-term storage. Although current requirements are streamlined from their early beginnings, the same goal applies in modern times: preservation.

Versatile Options

MAC Packaging understands the importance of versatilety and convenience. Demands change. Some months are busier than others. We are always ready for you. We can take care of your military packaging and shipping needs at our locations or yours. With over three generations of experience, our team can help you with logistics, equipment, warehousing, consulting, and freight services.