Ireland Degges
The U.S. and its allies have honed in on logistics and sustainment to address the many threats that come with rising geopolitical tensions. Logistics capabilities are the backbone of military readiness and a defining factor of battlefield success. They also serve another purpose: deterrence.
The Potomac Officers Club’s first-ever GovCon International Summit on Oct. 10 will tackle the relationship between logistics and power projection in a panel discussion titled “The Importance of Logistics and Sustainment in Deterrence.” Below is everything you need to know before the conversation begins.
U.S. Logistics Priorities
Department of Defense officials have recognized the impact of contested logistics on the modern battlefield and are taking steps to understand the unique logistics needs of their specific organizations.
For the Army, achieving logistics success means shifting to a strategy of predictive logistics, Defense Logistics Agency Director Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly said during a panel discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Army Summit.
“As we think about linking sensors to shooters, we’re also thinking about linking sensors to shooters to sustainers within that network, and predictive logistics is the network that provides a suite of solutions to harness the power of data,” he said.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, a 2024 Wash100 Award recipient, said at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Air Force Summit that the service branch is considering systems, ports and assets that may be targeted if conflict occurs, particularly with China.
At the Potomac Officers Club’s Preparing for the Contested Logistics Era Forum last September, Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command and a fellow 2024 Wash100 winner, listed three priority areas for the contested logistics era: shaping global posture, emphasizing global mobility capacity and focusing on command and control integration.
DOD Turns to Partnerships to Bolster Logistics Capabilities
Collaboration is a top priority for the DOD and a pathway to logistics success. Over the past year, the department has released multiple strategies for building partnerships that have major implications for military logistics.
National Defense Industrial Strategy
Published in January, the DOD’s first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy aims to rejuvenate the defense industrial base by building supply chain resiliency, developing the workforce, increasing acquisition flexibility and strengthening economic deterrence.
The strategy notes the importance of investing in the organic industrial base — organizations that produce a variety of military items, provide depot-level maintenance and sustain legacy platforms — as a key part of maintaining a logistics edge.
Flexible acquisition also plays a significant role in military logistics capabilities. Through the strategy, the department seeks to tackle issues that come with “inappropriately customized systems,” which when addressed “could contribute to better adaptation to emerging threats, protection against obsolescence of specific systems or parts, along with better logistics and maintenance capabilities.”
Regional Sustainment Framework
In May, the DOD released the Regional Sustainment Framework, a plan for improving regional maintenance, repair and overhaul. It includes three main objectives:
- Prevail in a contested logistics environment
- Enhance military readiness
- Strengthen regional partnerships
According to William LaPlante, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, the framework “leverages our strong partnerships throughout the global defense ecosystem to deliver enhanced sustainment capabilities in theater.”
“Doing so will create a distributed network of MRO facilities that is global in scale, but regionally aligned to the most relevant platforms and systems,” he said.
Meet the “Importance of Logistics and Sustainment in Deterrence” Panelists
Laura Cressey
Laura Cressey serves as director of the Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers within the U.S. Department of State. She joined the office in 2013 and held the roles of team lead for Europe and the Western Hemisphere, deputy director and acting director before being appointed to her current position in 2021.
As RSAT director, Cressey manages over $50 billion in worldwide arms transfers annually, leading the office’s mission of creating global and technology- and country-specific arms transfer policies. She also monitors regional security issues and facilitates dialogues between political and military leaders across the world.
Mark Eddings
Mark Eddings is senior vice president of LMI’s space market, a role in which he leads the full scope of growth, strategy, execution and delivery efforts for the business unit.
Eddings will bring extensive experience in the space field to the panel. Before joining LMI, he served as technical director for the Air Force’s Space Security and Defense Program, an initiative he worked on for over nine years in multiple positions. Earlier, he was an Air Force Technical Fellow, and he has also held various leadership roles within the service branch’s Space and Missile Systems Command.
Join the logistics conversation at the 2024 GovCon International Summit, where you will have the chance to network with key thought leaders in the field. Don’t wait to harness this opportunity, register for the event today!
