Logistics Transformation: The Paradigm Shift

Abstract

The shift in U.S. defense strategy and the transformation of the Army must be matched by a similar transformation in logistics. The Service-centric, hierarchical logistical organizations that relied upon requisitions and historical consumption rates was ill-suited to supply or support strategically deploying forces in simultaneous actions across the breadth and depth of the battlespace. The new way of warfare requires a logistics system with the same characteristics as the tactical forces: speed, maneuver-in-depth, adaptability, agility, flexibility, and battlespace situational awareness. It must be responsive in a timely manner to the needs of far-flung forces and do so without creating new "Iron Mountains" or establishing a large footprint that may be vulnerable to attack and will certainly be expensive. What the Army is doing for itself must eventually evolve into a fully joint logistics system. This monograph evaluates Army Logistics Transformation vis-a-vis Army Transformation. History serves as the stage setter to establish a framework that supports and establishes the importance and significance of logistics transformation. At issue is the changing nature of logistics structures and concepts of support that were developed for a Cold War Army and that continue to evolve to meet support requirements within an asymmetric warfare environment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 14, 2007
Accession Number
ADA470672

Entities

People

  • Derrick A. Corbett

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Command And Control
  • Deployment
  • Employment
  • Lessons Learned
  • Logistics
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Situational Awareness
  • Supply Chain
  • Supply Chain Management
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design