Velocity Management and the Revolution in Military Logistics
Abstract
By now every logistician in the Army should recognize the famous sound bite from the Chief of Staff: "There will not be a revolution in military affairs unless there is a revolution in military logistics." When General Reimer identified the Revolution in Military Logistics (RML) as a necessary precondition of the revolution in military affairs (RMA), he seemed to issue a clear challenge to the Army logistics community. Yet recent studies of the RMA commonly express little hope for delivering an RML, at least in the near term. For instance, in the article, "Strategic Logistics for Intervention Forces" (Parameters, Winter 1997-98), Lieutenant Colonel Yves J. Fontaine counters the Chief with another precondition: "The revolution [in military logistics] will occur only after our research community provides us with combat equipment that minimizes the logistical tail needed to sustain it." Similarly, in an article titled "An Appraisal of 'The Brigade-Based New Army'" (Parameters, Autumn 1997), Colonel David Fastabend expresses discouragement about achieving an RML. He describes the prospects of supporting the fast operations that characterize most concepts of the RFA: "The major barrier to the concept of flexible, independent maneuver on the battlefield remains logistics. There are no really good solutions for re-supplying these fast-moving organizations without some kind of logistical tail that inevitably, restricts the speed and scope of the maneuver."
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA512298
Entities
People
- Rick Eden
- Thomas J. Edwards
Organizations
- RAND Corporation