Dominant Logistics

One of the most asked questions in military circles is what exactly is logistics? Before I go any further, I want to clarify a few things. First is that there is no standardized definition of logistics so it tends to live a rather ad hoc existence, more like a black art than a military function. Second is that I have no formal training in logistics and every time I meet someone who does, I thank God that I don't. Consequently, all definitions provided herein are my own. Third is that while each branch of the military has its own concept and methods of logistics, I refuse to acknowledge any such distinctions. Somwhere, somehow, we need to learn to play together.

Logistics is the art of enabling war. The infantry shoots their guns, the artillery blows things up, the planes drop their bombs, the engineers help them do all this, the medics piece all those folks back together, intel makes sure we're killing the right folks; without logistics, none of this happens. If you happen to be a logistics person, understand this - you are the most wanted person on the battlefield. It was once said that killing a single support soldier can degrade a military unit as much as killing ten combat arms soldiers. You are wanted by our own combat forces because they are unemployed without you - you are wanted by the enemy because they can see the bull's eye on your ass, even if you can't.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let's get down to business. Logistics consists of supply, transportation, communications, and maintenance operations. To break it down a little further, think of it like this: if we are to enable war, we must supply the materials, we must transport the men and materials, we must communicate to know where and when to transport the men and materials, and we must maintain the systems that make all of this possible. There are many other support operations in the military, but these are the ones that make up the concept of logistics.

Logistics occurs on two levels - strategic and tactical. Strategic logistics is about getting the men and material to the party, wherever and whatever that party may be. It may be a war, it maybe be Operations Other Than War (OOTW), it may be peacekeeping, what have you - strategic logistics is about getting there. Tactical logistics is where the men and material meet the enemy. The easiest way to understand the difference is also the simplest - if someone is shooting at you, you're tactical.

There are a variety of ways to manage the supply system, but much of the reason that logistics is such a black art today is because of the myriad of different techniques that we attempt to blend together as a management system. I prefer to take a more simplistic approach to supply and transportation management. If you take a step back and look at the big picture of supply, it becomes possible to identify three distinct categories within which all military materials fall. From this view, I have developed the tier system of supply management.

Tier I consists of the materials and systems that support actions at the individual, squad, and section level. These materials and systems tend to be highly critical to the successful function and survival of personnel. Examples of Tier I materials include:

Small Arms and Munitions	Issued TA-50	Individual Protective Gear
Uniforms and Clothing	Squad radios and computers	Handheld GPS and related gear

A quick look at the listed assets allows for a number of key observations that Logisticians need to understand. These items are critical to the survival and function of the deployed force, but they also could theoretically be replaced by suitable substitutes from the civilian world or from other forces. For example, individual troops will often replace their military issued weapons and TA-50 with options better suited to their taskings in a conflict zone (using enemy rifles and ammunition to conserve your own is common practice).

The definition of organizational level changes from unit to unit. In some cases, organizational level will mean company level, sometimes it may refer to battalion or even brigade level depending on the unit TO&E. Regardless of the organization, we are generally looking at the same items here - the materials and systems that are controlled by the organization for it's specific role. Examples of Tier II assets include:

Heavy Weapons and Munitions	Tentage and Camoflauge Gear	Detection and Decontamination Gear
Support Tools and Kits	Unit radios and computers	Mounted GPS and related gear
Fuel	Tanks and Fighting Vehicles	Repair Parts

Some quick observations of the Tier II list bring a few points to note. The existence and functioning of these systems are a very desired thing but in general, their lack of presence will not directly result in casualties. These items rank as being important as opposed to critical. Another key note here is that no suitable substitute will usually be available for these items. A final key note is that these are the heaviest items in the logistics system - another way of looking at this tier of support would be as "tonnage items."

Tier III items are typically consumable bulk items that will be used by individuals and organizations in operations abroad. Where items from Tiers I & II are largely issued items and the materials to keep them operational, Tier III items are the consumables that are necessary to support every unit, regardless of activity. The other key elements of Tier III are the support systems that enable different organizations to function as a collective force within a deployed environment. Examples of Tier III assets include:

Small Arms Ammunition	Food	Water
Construction Materials	Theater-level radios and computers	Field kitchens, hospitals, etc.

The most important note here is that the items of Tier III will often be replaced by suitable alternatives from sources outside the normal military logistics system. In many operations, these items will be available locally and can be utilized without any serious problems. On the other hand, these are the most critical of all logistics items. A force without food and water is not a force - it is a collection of casualties.

Transportation systems are one of the most confusing areas of logistics because they tend to be used for so many different purposes. For example, a single vehicle my serve as a transport system, a weapon system, a medical system, a command system, or even an engineering system. Because of this level of diversity, it is important that we recognize the primary purpose for which a vehicle is designed and classify vehicles accordingly. For example, the M113 is specifically designed as a troop carrier and it can also be used in a variety of other roles. But first and foremost, it is a personnel carrier - any system that is to replace it must also have a primary purpose of carrying troops (troop carriage is a secondary role of the Bradley and this is why so many headaches have occured over the Bradley). This is a critical point as we go forth in transformation efforts that will radically change the force

Tier I transports are designed with a primary function of transporting personnel and Tier I supply assets and to transport other Tier I transport systems (some aircraft and ship designs are more suitable than others for moving quantities of ground transport vehicles). Tier I transportation assets include:

HMMWV-class cargo veh.	M113A3-class APCs	UH60-class Rotorcraft
KC-33A class aircraft	C-130 & CH-53 class aircraft	LHD class aircraft carriers

The key points to note here are that these systems are particularly suitable for transporting personnel and their accompanying equipment. These systems must be available in large numbers and will subsequently be relatively limited in overall combat capability and survivability. On the other hand, they will offer many advantages because they are less customized to other roles and can therefore be readily adapted to meet changing needs.

At the organizational level, we are looking more towards the systems that transport and support the organization as a whole. Tier II transportation assets include:

TSV-class cargo veh.	FMTV class vehicles	JTR-class Rotorcraft
C-17 class aircraft	HSV class ships(conventional power)	Nimitz class supercarriers

A driving concept of Tier II transports must be survivability because these systems are carrying a lot of very heavy materials into very dangerous places. They also must place a premium on speed to get these materials transported over very long ranges in a short period of time. Because of these needs, Tier II systems will be more expensive and must be designed to meet a variety of needs to spread the costs over a greater area.

Direct support transport assets are those systems designed to meet the constant needs of a deployed force. Any force that is sent to a forward area will have constant needs that must be met - Tier III assets fill these needs. Examples of Tier III assets include:

HEMTT / PLS class vehicles	TSV class veh. w/ trailer	Civilian cargo aircraft and ships
C-5 / LTA class aircraft	T-AKR class cargo vessels	HSV ships (hybrid power)

The strongest attribute of the systems in Tier III are their size, and consequently their total cargo capacity. Because of this, these systems will also be pretty expensive but they tend to be more efficient than the systems used in other tiers. Because Tier III systems must operate on a near constant basis, every effort must be made to ensure that the operational costs of these systems are kept as low as possible.

Communications is the next area of logistics that must be addressed and as with supply and transportation, it can also be viewed in a tiered structure that coincides with the structure of existing military formations.

Every squad and section within the military uses communication systems in one form or another. The following items should be considered Tier I communication assets:

Squad radios	Computers	Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
Plugger and other Handheld GPS	Cellular and other Phones	Individual Thermal and NVG systems

Now, obviously not all of these items are "communication" systems. The reason they are considered part of the communications section of logistics is because all of these systems provide the data (visual, audio, or otherwise) that we communicate with.

At the organizational level, the primary communications mission transitions from the actual role of communicating to one of integration and distribution. Tier II communication assets include:

Radio Antennas and Transmitters	Computer Networking Systems	Data Warehousing Systems
Cellular Antennas and Transmitters	Laser, Phone, and Satellite Systems	Vehicular Systems

Essentially, what we are doing here is defining each organization's communication systems into what is called a Local Area Network or LAN. Each LAN will be integrated into a Wide Area Network (WAN) using organizational level hardware. With the given mix of hardware, every unit can be added into the WAN either by land lines or by a variety of wireless options. The wireless options also allow for full communications capabilities even while the unit is on the move.

The role of direct support for communications is to provide for the infrastructure of the communications WAN. Of necessity, the WAN must be tailored for each operation in which we engage. Systems at the Tier III level include:

Radio Antennas and Transmitters	Computer Networking Systems	Data Warehousing Systems
Cellular Antennas and Transmitters	Laser, Phone, and Satellite Systems	Communication and GPS Satellites
Airborne Communication Systems	Naval Communication Systems	UAV Communication Systems

Obviously, many direct support systems will be similar or identical to systems at the organizational level because these are the systems that form the link of the LANs to the WAN. The additional items are the various transmitting systems that allow for us to communicate over great distances regardless of terrain.

Astute readers may note that this three tier system being implemented in the other areas of logistics is strikingly similar to how maintenance responsibilities are currently divided in much of the force - this is by design. Most areas of logistics actually function on a structure similar to what I am defining here, but they aren't managed that way! As an example, in actual practice an Army unit will expect the squad or section leader to manage all logistics functions at the level I am defining as Tier I. The unit will then have specific sections managing each of the respective areas covered in Tier II. Higher level support units then provide the areas that make up Tier III. But instead of managing logistics in this form, we instead throw all sorts of loops into the mix like dividing supply into ten different classes that make no distinction for the use of the material. What I am proposing is that we manage the system as it actually functions. To that end, maintenance will remain much as it currently exists.

Consistent with existing practice, Tier I of maintenance is the operator level and this is typically an individual, squad, or section function. If you are a student of the current system, this is -10 level maintenance.

As it is currently, organizational level maintenance will be -20 level maintenance performed at the organizational level as defined by TO&E.

Direct support, or -30 level maintenance, will continue to be provided by higher echelon support units as is current practice.

As previously mentioned, this model is based upon how logistics actually functions within the military today. This basic functioning will continue with small but significant adjustments to better adapt the force to the requirements of modern logistics.

At the end of the day, every action performed by the military is an individual, squad, or section action. We're talking end-users here and that is what Tier I is all about - providing the necessary means to get the job done to the people who actually do it.

Each squad and section within the military must have a NCO dedicated to logistics functions to assist leaders is this challenging field. In a typical squad, a Corporal or Sergeant would be assigned to the squad/section for logistics purposes. This person would be from the newly proposed Combat Technician MOS. As more and more of our military capabilities are augmented with high-tech systems, it is critical that a Combat Technician NCO be in each squad/section to properly maintain and manage the equipment as well as to train personnel in proper use of the equipment. Making this a NCO slot ensures that the Combat Technician has the authority and experience to get the job done properly.

For organizational purposes, we can't just have this massive collection of individuals, squads, and sections each doing their own thing so we group these teams into units or organizations. Tier II is about supporting these groups of teams.

As with current practice, organizations will continue to have sections dedicated to each of the logistics functions but these slots will be occupied by Combat Technicians as well. This allows for organization commanders to rotate personnel to maximize the capabilities of the collective unit. The definition of "organizational" will be determined by TO&E based upon existing maintenance levels (if organizational level maintenance is authorized at the company level, that is the organizational level; if it is authorized at battalion level, that will be the organizational level). Note that even if organizational level is battalion, there will still be Combat Technicians assigned to the command section of the units within that battalion for company level functions.

Once you get beyond the organizational level, things can get rather complicated logistically. After all, an organization may be sent to function on its own for some purpose, it may be operational within its normal brigade of division, or it may be split off to form up with another higher formation entirely. Because of these various roles, logistics beyond the organizational level are consolidated within Tier III.

Direct support is where the major transition comes into play. All Tier III level logistics will be removed from the current branches and be combined into a joint Logistics Corps. Each branch of service will have it's own dedicated Logistics organization within the branch for training and doctrine purposes but overall command of these organizations will come from a dedicated, joint Logistics Corps; this is essentially an entirely new branch of service being built with members of the existing services.

The Logistics Corps will manage all Tier III logistics within the force. This approach has a number of benefits including:

In some situations, direct support will continue to be provided in the manner it currently is - some forces need direct support integrated in their structure. Other forces can more effectively get support from other organizations or even civilian contractors. This also allows us the flexibility to increase direct support in missions where it is necessary or decrease support for missions where less is required. It also ensures a common doctrine and training regime for all logistics personnel, regardless of branch.