Homeland Defense Enables Army Force Projection

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U.S. Army paratroopers with 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade get ready to board a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules during an airborne operation at the 7th Army Training Command's Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 16, 2024.
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Homeland Defense Enables Army Force Projection

The Army’s ability to project power in a contested logistics environment starts at home, a panel of Army leaders said during a Hot Topic forum hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“Our ability to project combat power absolutely is a competitive advantage that we currently maintain,” said Maj. Gen. Gavin Lawrence, commanding general of Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. “We are a global Army. We are a global Department of Defense. But if you look at our force posture, the reality is that we are a continental United States-based force.” 

Data, Integration Key to Army Logistics Readiness

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trucks lined up as a convoy
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Data, Integration Key to Army Logistics Readiness

The Army must sharpen its ability to use data in more targeted ways as it works to build—and protect—its contested logistics capabilities, a panel of experts said at a Hot Topic forum sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army.

“What can the total Army do now to keep those supply lines open in the future, knowing that most likely cyber and information attacks are going to degrade operations?” said Col. Kristine Henry, who works on cyber and information operations special projects for the Maryland National Guard.

Army Sustainment Seeks Industry’s Unique, New Ideas

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Army leaders at a fireside chat at AUSA Global Force
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Army Sustainment Seeks Industry’s Unique, New Ideas

As the Army confronts an increasingly volatile operational environment, industry solutions will be critical to anticipating capabilities and shaping survivability in contested logistics, two senior logistics officers said.

During a fireside chat at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, Maj. Gen. Eric Shirley, commander of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, and Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, director of the Defense Logistics Agency, discussed the need to anticipate the challenges of operating forward.

Precise, Timely Logistics are a Top Army Focus

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Panelists at Global Force
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Precise, Timely Logistics are a Top Army Focus

A lean, agile and resilient sustainment enterprise capable of delivering precision logistics across a dispersed, contested battlefield remains a top Army priority, a panel of experts said March 26.

“We have to develop solutions at the speed of relevance, and our adversaries are not on our timeline,” said Col. Shane Upton, director of Army Futures Command’s Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team. “Precision logistics is an Army effort. It is a priority to bring readiness to our combat formations, and precision is a must.”

Hamilton Urges Industry to Help Boost Army Sustainment

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Gen. Charles Hamilton, commander of Army Materiel Command speaks at AUSA Coffee series event
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Hamilton Urges Industry to Help Boost Army Sustainment

Industry partners will be essential to supporting Army large-scale combat operations in a contested environment, said Gen. Charles Hamilton, commander of Army Materiel Command.

Speaking March 13 at a breakfast hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army as part of its Coffee Series, Hamilton called on industry to help the Army sustainment community meet one of the service’s top priorities—the delivery of ready combat formations.

Army Seeks Sustainment Precision, Automation

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Hot Topic panel members
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Army Seeks Sustainment Precision, Automation

Faced with an increasingly contested operating environment, the Army is working to deliver precision sustainment and incorporate autonomous vehicles for resupply missions.

“Everybody agrees that we’ve got to get after logistics in this contested environment,” said Rob Watts, deputy director of Army Futures Command’s Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team.

Speaking Feb. 7 during an Association of the U.S. Army Hot Topic on contested logistics, Watts said the Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team’s first “priority effort” is predictive logistics.

Smith: No More ‘Safe Harbor’ for Army Logistics

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Maj. Gen. James Smith, director of operations for the deputy chief of staff of the Army for logistics, G-4
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Smith: No More ‘Safe Harbor’ for Army Logistics

There will be “no safe harbor” anywhere in the world for the Army logistics enterprise as the air, land, sea, space, cyber and information domains are contested by adversaries, a senior Army leader said.

In a contested environment, “we’ll no longer be able to operate unimpeded, and this includes the homeland,” Maj. Gen. James Smith, director of operations for the deputy chief of staff of the Army for logistics, G-4, said Feb. 7 at a Hot Topic forum on contested logistics hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

AUSA Paper Dives into Challenges of Contested Logistics

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Shipping equipment
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AUSA Paper Dives into Challenges of Contested Logistics

Protection, deception and masking are key investments the Army must make as it works to ensure it can get to the fight—and stay in the fight—on a complex modern battlefield, according to the author of a new Association of the U.S. Army paper.

In “Contested Logistics: A Primer,” Lt. Col. Amos Fox writes that contested logistics are not a “new wrinkle of modern warfare.” Instead, it’s an issue that planners, strategists and industry have wrestled with “throughout the depth and breadth of armed conflict.”

AUSA Hosts Hot Topic on Contested Logistics

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AUSA Hosts Hot Topic on Contested Logistics

The Association of the U.S. Army is hosting a daylong Hot Topic event focused on contested logistics.

Scheduled for Feb. 7 at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, the Hot Topic is scheduled to feature speakers such as Lt. Gen. Heidi Hoyle, deputy Army chief of staff for logistics, G-4; Maj. Gen. Michelle Donahue, commanding general of the Army Combined Arms Support Command; and Robert Watts, deputy director of the Army Futures Command’s Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team.

Logistics Won’t Be Easy in Future Fights

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Apaches readied for shipment
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Logistics Won’t Be Easy in Future Fights

A new cross-functional team focused on contested logistics will get after a critical capability for the Army, senior leaders said.

“We can’t do what we do without logistics,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee during a March 30 hearing on the service’s fiscal 2024 budget request. “We’re seeing it play out in Ukraine.”

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