importance of military logistics

30. The research findings summarize Patton's career and his exposure to the importance logistics plays in modern war. Research has recognized supply chain as an important source of competitive advantage. Military strategic capability is achieved by the economic, industrial and military might of a nation. The quotes are all related to war because logistics was practically invented by the military. In the MSC Sealift Program, 106 of 115 ships, including government-owned surge sealift ships, Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Fleet ships, and chartered commercial ships, were carrying equipment and supplies for the Armys 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and V Corps and the Marine Corps I and II Marine Expeditionary Forces. The importance and the proportion of military logistics have developed at the same pace as the development of the industry of defence and the reassesment of the war concepts thus being forced to face bigger demands Therefore, understanding its nature is vital to commanders and institutional leaders. The problem is made worse by the complexity of dealing with both old and new technologies in a single logistics enterprise. Fundamentals In the conduct of war, war-making activity behind the cutting edge of combat has always defied simple definition. Amateurs think about tactics, but professionals think about logistics. It also outlines a range of options to deliver global mobility in dynamic threat and policy environments. The ability of the system to support the joint force in the event of major conflict is at best untested and could be problematic. Equipment readiness is another area of concern. At the same time, Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force oilers pumped more than 117 million gallons of fuel to Navy combat ships for bunkering and aircraft fuel. From the food on your table, through the clothes on your body and all the way to your business product or services. Major-General Carl von Clausewitz, On War. The force of tomorrow must be ready to defeat a peer competitor in a broad battlespace that requires security for each logistics movement, the ability to off-load across various widely distributed locations, with minimal infrastructure, and in a communications-degraded environment. Logistics is perhaps the most complex and interrelated capability provided by todays military. The same account further reflects that from January 2003 through the end of April 2003, MSC delivered more than 21 million square feet of warfighting equipment and supplies, 260 million gallons of fuel, and 95,000 tons of ammunition to the Persian Gulf area for the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy warfighters involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom. "The line between disorder and order lies in logistics". Widespread military use for the word logistics came during the Second World War when countries realized how important it was to maintain the flow of arsenal to the infantry on the ground. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, DLA at a Glance, http://www.dla.mil/AtaGlance.aspx (accessed May 29, 2018). 3. 1. The success of military logistics during the past 16-plus years of overseas combat operations is partly to blame for anyones assumption that continued logistical success in the ever-changing national security environment is a given across the entirety of the military logistics enterprise. Shipbuilding History, Large Naval Ships and Submarines, http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/navalships.htm (accessed July 27, 2018). Keeping the Army's equipment ready to go takes a lot of personnel and financial resources: 20 percent of the soldiers in a heavy division (almost as much as the supply and services, transportation, and medical personnel combined) and an estimated $11 billion across the Army in fiscal year 2003. Logistics is vital to any military campaign. Not explicitly addressed in the NDS but fundamentally implied is the equally daunting challenge of winning the home games by having the critical militaryindustry partnerships and dedicated infrastructure that serve as the preparation and launching pads for our forces. The report also offers recommendations for improved distribution monitoring. The Future of Combat Casualty Care: Is the Military Health System Ready? Friday, June 25, 2021 A supply ship unloads supplies at the Port of Pusan. Prior to World War I, the German Army knew in detail what it would take to deploy the force via railroads to the frontiers. This sets the globe left of conflict and logistically. Since military equipment and supplies must be transported from one place to another, it's hugely important to create a comprehensive, fast and dependable logistics system that would work and deliver the value and results to support defense efforts nationally and internationally. The use of unmanned platforms will be critical to the future of agile logistics. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines logistics as the aspect of military science dealing with the procurement, maintenance, and transportation of military materiel, facilities, and personnel.2 The Joint Chiefs of Staffs Logistics elaborates on this definition and quotes Rear Admiral Henry E. Eccless 1959 statement that Logistics is the bridge between the economy of the Nation and the tactical operations of its combat forces. For this to happen, the U.S. government needs the appropriate license rights and actual possession of the data. Importance of Logistics 5. Failure to understand the implications of not modernizing logistics in a time of great technological change potentially spells doom for the success of the modernized force. logistics, in military science, all the activities of armed-force units in roles supporting combat units, including transport, supply, signal communication, medical aid, and the like. In this companion report, researchers identify next steps toward implementing variable cost pricing for selected business lines funded by the Transportation Working Capital Fund. Imagine further that this must be accomplished against a force that has near-parity with our technological capabilities and the ability to engage us from fixed, friendly facilities with engagement timed on their terms. This will include capabilities to enhance close combat lethality in complex terrain.24 With regard to mobility and resilience, our military will be required to field ground, air, sea, and space forces that can deploy, survive, operate, maneuver, and regenerate in all domains while under attack. Logistics owns the great privilege of . This can be done by developing the means to transfer logistics data systems seamlessly from digital-based processes to analog-based processes and back. Consequently, it is far more complex than even the most sophisticated global business enterprises. Efficiencies should be pursued to free resources for use elsewhere, but those efficiencies must never be taken at the expense of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines who have been committed to battle. You simply cannot mount an attack or defence without a functioning logistics system. After the Cold War, U.S. logistics planners moved away from a focus on effectiveness to a focus on efficiency in the sense that little is left idle for significant periods and that commodities are delivered at minimum cost. They also are applicable across the entire U.S. military from the strategic level to the tactical level. This situation will strain the systems, processes, and resources intrinsic in military logistics, and exacerbate the friction along the combatants' lines of communications. Logistics, the means of strategy and tactics, determines what is practically possible in war. Military logistics is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of all the critical operations. The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. 19. It should be noted, however, that in the years since these tremendous accomplishments, the size of the force available to execute these missions has shrunk considerably. logistics , In military science, all the activities of armed-force units in support of combat units, including transport, supply, communications, and medical aid. Logistics, Merriam-Webster.com, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/logistics (accessed May 29, 2018). Ultimately, the effectiveness of any logistics capability is determined at the tactical level, but sustained success at the tactical level requires effectiveness further upstream at the operational and strategic levels. In a time of constrained fiscal resources, this means doing differently with less. The intention here is to try and bring about a change in outlook on this very important area that is taken for granted. Managing logistics is extremely crucial as it helps the organisations to gain deep insights of the supply chain. 9. other words joint logistics. Of the 42 ships in the Prepositioning Program, 33 were underway or had already off-loaded gear for warfighting forces in the Persian Gulf area. Admiral Brewer put these accomplishments into context: The amount of cargo we delivered could fill all 119 Division 1-A college football fields three times over.22 Specifically: From November 2002 to May 2003, nearly 85,000 pieces of cargo and 4,000 containers of ammunition, requiring 16 million square feet of cargo space, were loaded aboard MSC ships under MSC Atlantics operational control. In addition to ensuring that modernized logistics capabilities are appreciated as central to regaining our military advantage, logistics capabilities must be considered in the ongoing discussion of solutions to overcome the current readiness shortfalls of todays military. Many have written on the challenges of logistics in the 21st century, but Lieutenant General Michael Dana, Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, has captured the requirement succinctly in his term hybrid logistics, which he defines as the era where old meets new.28 This is a period in logistics operations in which the combination of old and new technology and innovative concepts will provide precise logistics support to a widely distributed force instead of a large logistics footprint that delivers through a central hub. By late April 2003, more than 150 MSC ships had off-loaded in Kuwaiti ports.21. Three of 25 Special Mission ships were directly supporting Navy combatants with telemetric, hydrographic and acoustic data. ognition of the importance of the logistics system to these ar-mies, attacks on magazines, baggage trains, and lines of . It grants broader visibility over the movement of merchandise from construction to consumption, identifying infrastructure and operational practices that help or hinder that smooth, cost-effective distribution. From the farthest tactical edge to the economic system of the nation, military logistics has far-reaching implications for the nation and the military element of national power and therefore affects every aspect of organizing, training, equipping, deploying, and employing the force. 22. Reverse logistics is an important aspect of supply chain management, like when you order from amazon and need to return your products which can be a process in itself. If you believe and have prepared your followers, the . Now imagine doing this in an environment devoid of modern infrastructure in a manner that defeats an adversarys desire to prevent our use of air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace to project military power, all in consonance within the complex interrelationships and intricacies that support current collective defense arrangements. All you can think about . USTRANSCOM conducts more than 1,900 air missions during an average week and has 25 ships underway and 10,000 ground shipments operating in 75 percent of the worlds countries. The U.S. military has seven geographic combatant commands set up around the world Europe, Africa, the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, South America, North America and even . Unmanned platforms that support ground distribution will complement unmanned aerial platforms that deliver vital sustainment to widely distributed forces. The impact of logistics beyond readiness grows exponentially when taken in the context of the larger complexities of strategic logistics capabilities such as national and international highway, rail, port, and sealift capacities. That was more than 78 percent of the total MSC active fleet of 214 ships that dayships dedicated to supporting the US forces. Given the evolution of competitors abilities to threaten the logistical underpinnings of U.S. combat power, force logistics planning now requires innovation in both technology and operational concepts. It must be able to dictate the time and tempo of its buildup and control the massive capabilities of the U.S. military. In preparation for combat operations in Iraq, logisticians had six months to deploy the force and its associated sustainment. US admits "We're not the clear [technology] leaders that we used to be" U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Logistics, pp. On deeper inspection, however, the differences are profound. "The cost of operating and maintaining a system over its useful life is driven primarily by system design, and reliability and maintainability decisions, which are typically made before production." - Ms. Christine Fox, Former Director, Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation (CAPE) General Darren W. McDew, U.S. Air Force, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command, statement On the State of the Command before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate, April 10, 2018, pp. 29. DLAs activity is spread across 48 U.S. states and in 28 different countries.12. It should be noted that the current shipbuilding plan projects 11 more battle force ships than were projected in the 2017 plan. 2.2 Defense Logistics Agency The Defense Importance of Logistics Logistics is critical to success on the battlefield. It is often termed "the Forgotten War" in the United States. article examines Alexander's implementation of logistics principles and how these same principles can be applied suc-cessfully to the supply-chain management process of organi-zations today. 11. Unlike commercial companies with global distribution operations, the military faces conflicts that usually erupt with very little warning and immediately create enormous demands for support akin to the Christmas rush, the Black Friday crush, and Cyber Monday rolled into one. New principles must be embraced to achieve the requirements for successful logistics capabilities in support of operational commanders and the National Defense Strategy. The ASLP will achieve the goals of that vision by transforming Army logistics from a system based predominately on redundancy of mass to one based on velocity mobility and information. Many of its theories and applications have been efficiently put into practice in the business world. Press release, MSC Area Commands Provide a World of Service to Military Forces in Middle East, U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, July 23, 2003, http://www.msc.navy.mil/publications/pressrel/press03/press34.htm (accessed May 29, 2018). Unlike commercial firms that can prepare by the calendar, the military must operate without knowing when the date of each event occurs and still have the ability to respond to a sudden change in the latest hot item within hours, if not minutes. 18. Military logistics has been part of the history of mankind and has evolved to become a science of application to different processes of the Operational Forces. The growing complexity and diversity of the needs of modern-day armies require supply and logistics efficiency, enabling militaries to achieve national goals. They are more intricate when you have . The U.S. has only 23 designated Strategic Seaports17 commercially operated and six under military controlthat make it possible to sustain overseas forces daily and keep them sustained during wartime. In Clausewitzs words, getting the force to the fight at the right place and the right time1 is the true essence of military logistics. Logistics became particularly important for being the backbone of the entire supply chain. It is of vital importance for any military operation and, without it, operations could not be carried out and sustained. "Leaders win through logistics. Drawing upon decades of experience, RAND provides research services, systematic analysis, and innovative thinking to a global clientele that includes government agencies, foundations, and private-sector firms. These interventions enable logistics capability development for new generations of warfare. There is no option to fail, and there is no hope of unlimited resources. Global Security.org, Sealift in Operation Iraqi Freedom, last modified July 7, 2011, https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/sealift-oif.htm (accessed May 30, 2018). A highly motivated, resilient and inspirational individual who possesses an extensive array of equipment . Lieutenant General Michael G. Dana, USMC, 21st Century Logistics: Designing and Developing Capabilities, Marine Corps Gazette, Vol. Topic: Logistics Quotes. But there are challenges all along the supply chain, addressed by different agencies and military commands in a complicated set of processes, and a collective reluctance to assume responsibility for the mission. In the modern era, the appreciation of logistics by Admiral Ernest J. However, the concentration on the military mission with regard to effects, while logical from a military perspective, is cause for a gravely misleading perception among civil actors. To say the least, the challenges of military logistics are unique. Within logistics, the supply function is critical to equipment readiness. In this interview, they discuss what made them want to join the service, what led them to research, and how their military experience guides the work they do at RAND. A logistics management system underpins that effort and includes inbound and outbound transportation management, warehouse management, fleet management, order processing, inventory control, supply and demand forecasting, and managing third-party logistics (3PL) service providers. Researchers conducted an analysis of alternatives of interoperability measurement systems to support the U.S. Army in achieving interoperability with partners. Reductions in the size and capability of the industrial base, limitations on our national sealift capacity, and aging of the infrastructure needed to move personnel, weapons systems, ammunition, and fuel all directly challenge the ability of the United States to project military power. They are delivered from the sea by means of modern connectors, platforms, processes, and concepts with the flexibility to enable multi-domain fires and maneuver. 15. Once the 2 nd World War finished, enterprises and businesses within the United States took up this word and started implementing it within normal business . Having greater logistics capability than the enemy is a force multiplier. CIMIC is perceived as being synony- These 1,089 ships included 32 carriers, 10 battleships, 62 cruisers, 442 destroyers, and 563 frigates and destroyer escorts.26 Compare this to the Navys Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2019, which proposes the construction of 54 battle force ships during the five years from 2019 to 2024.27. Transitioning Army Logistics Officer, looking to pursue new goals and passions outside of the Military. Robert L. Wilke, Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, memorandum, DOD Retention Policy for Non-Deployable Service Members, February 14, 2018, https://news.usni.org/2018/02/16/new-pentagon-separation-policy-non-deployable-service-members (accessed May 29, 2018). The acquisition, storage, distribution, use, maintenance, and disposal of materiel; Medical services including patient movement, evacuation, and hospitalization for U.S. and partner personnel as well as indigenous personnel affected by operations; Facilities and infrastructure acquisition, construction, use, and disposition; Provision of food, water, and operational hygiene and sanitation support; Operational contract support including contract management; Infrastructure assessment, repairs, and maintenance; Common-user logistics support to other U.S. government entities, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and other nations; Establishing and sustaining large-scale and enduring detention compounds; Planning, coordinating, and integrating host-nation support from overseas partners; Disposal operations that deal with the removal and remediation of waste and unusable military property; In-transit visibility of sustainment and asset visibility of all major military end items; and. According to one account: In January 2003, MSC began the build-up for what would become Operation Iraqi Freedom. The ability to make the force more survivable requires both technological improvements that reduce the need for large footprints in bulk liquids and ammunition and refocused training and logistics concepts. COURIER, 2020, Vol. It does this with a total wartime personnel capability of 45,945 active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen; 73,058 Reserve and Guard personnel; and 19,104 DOD civilian personnelnumbers that do not include the significant contributions of USTRANSCOMs commercial partners or the contributions of foreign entities.10. Technologies such as additive manufacturing, improved manmachine interfaces, and advanced robotics will contribute significantly to improved survivability. Of these ships, 26 were operated by federally employed mariners and 141, or 84 percent, were crewed by merchant mariners employed by commercial companies under contract with MSC. To stop the ceaseless supply of allied stuff, and . Improvements in munitions and energy systems will directly improve the speed and reliability of the force and, thus, its logistical survivability and effectiveness. Availability and delivery of parts and spare components, maintenance capability and the capacity to surge increased maintenance volume on short notice, the ability to contract additional support when necessaryall of these logistical elements are essential to military effectiveness. Military readiness is the capability of the military force to meet the requests of their designated assignments or missions. The ability to measure effectiveness against efficient performance is critical. Military Logistics: A Brief History - Logistics is a relatively new word used to describe a very old practice: the supply, movement and maintenance of an armed force both in peacetime and under operational conditions. Logistics is nearly absent from the recent testimonies by military leaders, members of congress, and industry.4 While all of the testimonies highlight the need to modernize the U.S. military in order to regain our technological advantage, few specifically highlight the need for modernized logistics capabilities. The Military Ensures Our Freedom and Safety Around the World From the battlefields of the American Revolution to the front lines of Eastern Europe, American service members have been ensuring the freedom of America and its allies for centuries. Logisticsthe transfer of personnel and materiel from one location to another, as well as the maintenance of that materielis essential for a military to be able to support an ongoing deployment or respond effectively to emergent threats. 3. Logistics is the foundation for the success of military operations from entry-level training to the most complex operations across the spectrum of conflict. Supply readiness has been the subject of various testimonies to Congress regarding the readiness of the force on land, in the air, or on the sea. It would require a substantial expansion of the defense industrial base, but it might offer a plausible way to keep American objectives and resources in line without sacrificing too much in either. RAND researchers present a Future Logistics Concept Assessment Framework, which is a disciplined, systematic way to assess proposed future logistics concepts to meet the requirements of the National Defense Strategy. Port facilities capable of handling critical munitions movements are critical to force deployment and sustainment. Answer (1 of 4): I'm as logistics officer at the IDF can tell you that no army can move for more than 72 hours without the military logistics. Which successful supply chain organizations use to execute operations efficiently and increase value for their end customers. -- In medical logistics, there are many moving parts -- each as important as the next -- to . The Army Strategic Logistics Plan ASLP is the Army Logistics communitys strategy to achieve the DCSLOGs Logistics Vision the Revolution in Military Logistics RML. Military 80 Penn State program trains Marines on battlefield logistics DC Velocity DECEMBER 18, 2018 It's impossible to overstate the benefits of business logistics systems or the importance of distribution logistics. 20. At first glance, the challenges of military logistics may appear to be the same as, or at least very similar to, those experienced by FEDEX, Walmart, Amazon, DHL, or any other major supply chain operation supporting vast numbers of customers both internationally and across the United States. Success at the operational level requires the integration of logistics capabilities contributed by all entities involved in military affairs, to include service, coalition-partner, interagency, governmental, private/commercial, and host-nation capabilities. Nevertheless, changes that positively influence the agility, survivability, responsiveness, and effectiveness of logistics systems can and must be made. Static inventory is distribution moving at zero miles per hour, and anything that is static on the modern battlefield has little chance of remaining survivable. 10. . /content/admin/rand-header/jcr:content/par/header/reports, /content/admin/rand-header/jcr:content/par/header/blogPosts, /content/admin/rand-header/jcr:content/par/header/multimedia, /content/admin/rand-header/jcr:content/par/header/caseStudies, How China Understands and Assesses Military Balance, Russian Military Operations in Ukraine in 2022 and the Year Ahead, Consequences of the War in Ukraine: A Bleak Outlook for Russia, RAND President and CEO Presenting to House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, RAND Experts Discuss the First Year of the Russia-Ukraine War, Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change, Measuring Wellbeing to Help Communities Thrive, Assessing and Articulating the Wider Benefits of Research, Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains, Common Authorized Stockage Lists for the U.S. Army's Brigade Combat Teams, Improving Precommissioning Assignments and Readiness on the U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter, Rapidly Detecting and Correcting Degradation of Military Supply Distribution Performance: Algorithms, Visualizations, and Case Studies, The Problem of Intra-Theater Lift: Moving Things Around in the Pacific Area of Responsibility, Assessing the Effectiveness of Future Concepts in the U.S. Air Force: Application to Future Logistics Concepts, Supporting Combat Power Projection Away from Fixed Infrastructure, Retention of Enlisted Maintenance, Logistics, and Munitions Personnel: Analysis and Results, Implementing Variable Cost Pricing in the Transportation Working Capital Fund, A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans, Achieving Global Mobility: Future Force Design 2040, Global Mobility: Future Force Design 2040, An Analysis of Alternative Approaches to Measuring Multinational Interoperability: Early Development of the Army Interoperability Measurement System (AIMS). Broyles leads research on improving repair, Kenneth Girardini is a senior operations researcher at the RAND Corporation. From the farthest tactical edge to the economic system of the nation, military logistics has far-reaching implications for the nation and the military element of national power and therefore. Modernizing home game infrastructure must also include improved, state-of-the-art ranges and maintenance facilities, which are critical to supporting the readiness of new platforms that are being acquired in every service. John E. Wissler, Lieutenant General, USMC (Ret.). The U.S. military has not had to fight its way to the fight since World War II. The NDS focuses on investments needed to improve the ability of forces deployed abroad to maneuver against an enemy and ensure that the posture of those forces (how they are arrayed in theater) has resilience (the ability to sustain losses and remain effective). Taken together, collaborative services and innovation stress the importance of a vibrant military logistics community that is externally connected. Logistics touches every aspect of military strength and is the sum of the capabilities brought to bear by all of the U.S. military services and those of a wide array of international partners.6. Developments in mechanized, aerial, and amphibious warfare made the logistic support of armed forces vastly more complicated and extensive (Nelson, 1992). 26. 28. Not Sure if someone was looking for quotes on logistics so I will post a few here. The United States might look at its support of Ukraine as a potential model for future defense strategy.

Andreessen Horowitz Investor Relations, Louisiana Ppp Loan Arrests, Apartments In Clermont, Fl Under $900, Russell Hitchcock Daughter, Mobile Homes For Sale Barrington, Nh, Articles I