Packaging. It’s something you might not be inclined to think about very often, but it actually impacts you more than you ever would have thought. Hypothetically, if you were to think on the topic of packaging, what would you think about? Of course there’s the obvious answers, like boxes and bags or packing peanuts and bubble wrap, but it goes far beyond just the obvious.

Think for a moment about the military. While packaging might not be a hot topic in the news or in our culture, it can literally mean the difference between life and death for soldiers at home and abroad. Philosopher and theorist George Santamaya said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." and it’s a bit of advice that you can apply to virtually everything, especially military packaging.

With Santayana’s famous saying in mind, it’s important to remember that the "past" for the military in terms of packaging was characterized by inefficiency, failed shipments, and a distinct lack of organization. Whether the department of defense was acting on Santamaya’s posthumous advices or not, the military naturally began to evolve their approach to packaging to ensure that soldiers deployed around the world got the supplies they needed to operate reliably, quickly, and without loss of supply or life.

In the wake of World War II, where ineffective military packaging presented itself as a major problem for the war effort, there was clear indication that a more focused and thought out approach to military packaging was necessary.

With this need realized, military packaging has undergone numerous changes and updates since.

Even with increased focus given to packaging in conflicts after WWII, the American Military still suffered serious losses due to ineffective military packaging. In Vietnam for example, one of the most prominent military packaging failures occurred when fiberboard used for exterior shipping containers was literally falling apart with minimal exposure to the elements. The failure was caused by changes in the performance requirements, eliminating water immersion tests previously required to "pass" a container for military use. The end result? Loss of equipment, loss of money, and undersupplied troops. Due to events such as this, military packaging has continued to be the subject of constant improvement and reassessment.

Another issue that has arisen in the past due to ineffective mil spec packaging occurred during the Gulf War Conflict, when International Standards Organization (ISO) containers were used to move supplies through water ports quickly without extensive handling. However, once the supplies arrived in the field, they were hard to identify and catalog. This resulted in waste when duplicate orders were made for the same needed item, when in actuality it simply couldn’t be located.

Today, military packaging has continued to evolve to better accommodate the needs of soldiers on and off the battlefield. Military packaging is routinely provided by a number of suppliers across the country, who all must conform to specific military specifications.