Military leaders, industry partners brainstorm solutions to logistics challenges

The key to ensuring materiel readiness in a contested logistics environment will be expanding the scope of how and when logistics is considered, planned and executed, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told senior logisticians Sept. 12.

"We want to fight with an unfair advantage," Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. said during his keynote address at the Worldwide Logistics Symposium. "We have to act like there is a crisis without the crisis … to make the changes needed now."

Brown joined Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, Defense Department logistics leaders, military logisticians from other nations, and industry partners from across the globe to brainstorm solutions to strengthen the global network of sustainment. The event was held Sept. 12-13 at DLA Headquarters.

Brown said the solution to contested logistics challenges is to establish a globally connected, resilient defense ecosystem through collaborative regional sustainment strategies that leverage the strengths of allies, partners, and the defense industry base.

The chairman stated that while we may look to World War II as an example of how to successfully build up logistics support, today presents new global challenges and requires new tools.

"We have to take the lessons learned from Ukraine, because logistics was not as interoperable as we initially hoped and it continues to be a limiting factor.," Brown said.

"We must take an integrated approach. Efforts cannot be siloed; we need to communicate and work with each other and share effective solutions," he continued.

The Chairman's interest in how we do logistics began after reading the book, "Freedom's Forge," which highlights the shift in the defense industrial base during the 1930s under President Theodore Roosevelt's administration. Brown shared a few takeaways from the book on the importance of assessing the health of supply chains and building relationships with the commercial sector and defense manufacturing to ensure support and integration during a conflict.

When thinking about operational planning, the chairman challenged the leaders in attendance to start with the end in mind by first working to break down barriers before going to the conflict, along with being willing to take risks now to minimize problems later.

"We must bring our allies and partners to the table and ensure the military services are converging as we prepare our operational plans to better balance our capability with our capacity and build consistent demands with the defense industrial base," he said.

Brown explained the importance of military logisticians building trust with the defense industrial base, establishing predictable demand, accelerating partnerships, and integrating product support strategies. Being better able to understand priorities and requirements can reduce cost and lead times, he said.

The Worldwide Logistics Symposium is intended for participants to gain a better understanding of the concerns our nation's allies and strategic partners face in their operational environments. The event's theme, "Resilient Logistics: An Operational Imperative," was something Steven Morani, principal deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for sustainment, believes requires logisticians to do more than level set. He described becoming resilient like a boxer, able to absorb pain and punishment while maintaining a healthy body through proper nutrition and exercise to sustain throughout the fight.

"Wars are won through logistics," he said. "Those who are resilient the longest, win the war, nothing one nation can do alone."

When thinking about solutions to contested logistics, Morani stressed the importance of developing depth, capacity and capability to execute operational plans while ensuring the gathered data is actionable to better inform decision making and build quality metrics. These are all areas he believes previous conflicts have not challenged logistics leaders like the current war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflicts around the world are doing today.

Allies and industry base partners share insights

During the event, defense leaders and industry partners heard from logistics principals from allied nations who shared the political climate in their nations, personnel challenges and budgetary constraints, as well as the geographical and environmental concerns impacting their warfighting capabilities at home and in the joint environment.

Patrick Kelleher, principal deputy director of strategic logistics for the Joint Staff, moderated a panel for industry association leaders to help bridge the gap and build trust between industry and the DOD.

Representatives from three industry associations discussed their federal agency partners capabilities, concerns and challenges in doing business with the government while also providing feedback on how they can help DLA, and the services win wars in the contested logistics environment.