How Modern-Day Military Logistics Evolved Over the Years

The shift in the operational doctrine of warfare from platform-centric to network-centric necessitates the transformation of military logistics as well. This will ensure the fielding of a force that is strategically responsive and dominant at every stage of operations.

FREMONT, CA: The ongoing evolution of logistics procedures has compelled logistics managers to provide the necessary material support to maintain operations in both peace and conflict. Technology advancements, modifications to how war is fought, lessons gained, and the military's ever-expanding roles and responsibilities have all contributed to this shift. But since the end of the Cold War, changes in military logistics have happened quickly. Additionally, related modifications in the civil sector's logistical procedures have had an impact on the transformation.

The impact of IT has caused a major change in military affairs. Globally, the operational doctrine has changed from platform-centric warfare to network-centric warfare (NCW) as a result of developments in computer science, communications, geographic information systems (GIS), and other IT fields. GIS is a byproduct of the digital age that has found many civic niches and is progressively permeating a variety of security and military applications. The integration of GIS with Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) products as a crucial component of the NCW is the most recent development in this continual growth. This revolution in military affairs must be accompanied by a similar Revolution in Military Logistics (RML) since military logistics and fighting are closely related.

Requirements of future logistics support

Future logistical support must make it possible to use fewer trucks and a more aggressive decrease in the manoeuvre sustainment footprint. Ideally, logistics should enhance combat forces rather than burden them. In the future, army logistics will need to be more adaptable to meet the demands of dynamic RML support to the mobile and nimble combat units. These are some logistics agility requirements:-

Structural agility: The Army will achieve structural agility by fully integrating all of its parts, incorporating support teams from other services, and working with its industrial partners. The size and level of technical skill of logistics task groups must be scalable. All personnel, teams, and units should be able to independently deploy and move to a rendezvous site inside the theatre.

Acquisition agility: The acquisition system must enable quick and flexible access to a broad range of commercial sources of supply to keep up with NCW's rapidly shifting requirements. The development, construction, and deployment of advanced systems and modernization packages will also depend heavily on the agile acquisition system. Modern technology will be made available to field forces at a cost the country is ready to pay owing to shorter development cycles.

Logistics professionals are working extremely hard to supply soldiers with what they need despite the overwhelming restriction of drastic budget cuts. Given the likelihood of future defence budget cuts, logisticians currently have a limited window of time to set the agenda for the next generation's resource-constrained logistics system, including how it will look, function, and how it can best support expeditionary forces that are coalition-based and/or joint based in the 21st century given the wide range of potential conflicts they may face. Future financial restrictions may need a new and very different approach to supplying defence logistics.