The Navy’s systems commands (SysComs) are the service’s procurement agencies responsible for developing, acquiring, and maintaining various warfighting systems, including aircraft, weapons, and associated equipment. These systems are essential for the fleet’s operations and for international partners and allies through the foreign military sales (FMS) process. The program managers for each weapon system within a SysCom are responsible for managing the system’s cost, schedule, and performance throughout its life cycle, while simultaneously meeting immediate fleet sustainability requirements. Traditionally, program-management planning for life-cycle support is based on peacetime metrics with little consideration for wartime surge requirements.
To better prepare to transition from peacetime or deterrence operations to contingency and wartime operations, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition has tasked all SysComs, including their program executive offices and field activities, with developing wartime acquisition response plans (WARPs) informed by tabletop exercises (TTXs). In their final form, WARPs outline the procedures and guidelines necessary to quickly expand acquisition and sustainment for surge operations.
Too often, peacetime exercise planners do not completely anticipate the urgency and geographic constraints of wartime scenarios. U.S. naval commands have not encountered an actual contested logistics environment since the 1940s. Because TTX planners and participants lack firsthand experience in such an environment, their decision-making is based on what they experience in their day-to-day jobs. They assume there will be a ready means to expedite contracts for additional supply support. This assumption rests on the belief the Department of Defense (DoD) could continue to maintain a mostly uninterrupted supply line, as it does during peacetime. This is particularly concerning considering the distances at which U.S. forces would need to be resupplied to counter China or Russia. If TTX development is not augmented with better education and teams specializing in international sustainment, the Navy faces significant risk of missing solutions for operating in a contested logistics environment.
Despite no current leaders having experience supporting a wartime contested logistics environment, there are valuable lessons from two recent peacetime events—Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic—that should be studied.
Hurricane Katrina Response. Hurricane Katrina devastated the entire Gulf Coast of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on 29 August 2005. This catastrophic event caused extensive damage to vital infrastructure and rendered roads, bridges, rail lines, seaports, and airports unusable. Consequently, rescue efforts with required equipment were severely hindered because of the difficulty in accessing affected areas. The region also faced additional challenges such as shortages of petroleum and electricity, nonfunctional cell towers, the lack of food supplies, a collapsed banking system, and thousands of individuals finding themselves homeless for days, weeks, or, in some cases, months.
Despite U.S. government policies implemented following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the federal response to Katrina was beset with confusion, delay, and poor coordination. Nevertheless, the U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard units, local responders, and the regional power company Entergy accomplished impressive feats.
Entergy’s successful response owed to comprehensive planning, including prepositioning equipment, supplies, and personnel, and, most important, practical training for out-of-state support teams. Out-of-state power companies needed to be integrated with local power teams who understood the region’s unique challenges. Local National Guard units also were a great resource for information on the region’s terrain, infrastructure, and environment, such as how water moccasins and alligators behave during a severe storm.
The COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of the worldwide supply chain during a global crisis. Shortages of port operators, truck drivers, pilots, aircrew, and staging personnel caused a marked decline in maritime trade. Countries also imposed restrictions on foreign deliveries, which further hindered the global supply chain process.
Even after the pandemic, supply chain challenges continue. For example, the Port of Los Angeles—the busiest port in the United States—handles 40 percent of all the nation’s freight shipments to and from Asia. In recent years, there have been delays in shipments because the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) used slowdown tactics to exert pressure during contract negotiations. Furthermore, the efficiency of West Coast ports falls significantly below that of other countries, partly because of the ILWU’s resistance to automation to avoid job losses.
Studying this disruption could help U.S. military planners forecast supply disruptions in the Pacific and beyond prior to and during conflict with China. China holds influence over 144 countries with whom Beijing has signed memorandums of understanding. A recent example of this influence occurred in April 2022 when the Solomon Islands entered into a pact with China to address internal security concerns and denied U.S. and allied ships entry for refueling.
The Naval Aviation (NavAir) SysCom Security Cooperation Office (SSCO) is accountable for aiding international aviation programs, encompassing a dedicated FMS transportation team with a supporting international sustainment center (ISC). In collaboration with the ISC, SSCO specialized analysts assist in the global planning and coordination of packaging, handling, storage, and transportation (PHS&T) services for FMS NavAir equipment in support of international partners. A collaborative team-driven approach coordinated with numerous U.S. agencies and global partners can provide efficient global PHS&T solutions. Each country and situation can be unique, so a dedicated team of FMS transportation analysts working together is needed.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, NavAir’s FMS transportation team managed the timely shipment of FMS equipment to the respective countries. In addition, the team played an instrumental role in facilitating the delivery of NavAir’s military equipment to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Recommendations
Expand TTXs to include international partners. Implementing the lessons from the Hurricane Katrina response, TTX planners should involve international partners located in the projected theater of operation. Many U.S. partners and allies have the same systems, components, and support infrastructure and have undergone similar training. This could allow DoD to use partner capabilities such as weapon systems, flight-line equipment, supply support, and personnel residing in the theater. This approach would more rapidly restore warfighting systems, eliminating the need for lengthy and risky journeys back to the United States for repairs or to rely on the U.S. supply system.
Enhance TTXs to include FMS transportation analysts. The transportation services within a contested logistics operating area would likely encounter obstacles similar to those Hurricane Katrina ceated on the Gulf Coast and the COVID-19 pandemic caused for the global supply chain. Replacement products will be procured rapidly, but this will not mean much if they remain at the shipping docks awaiting transportation.
It is vital to integrate global transportation specialists into the WARP-development phase of TTXs. These specialists are expert at collaborating with relevant U.S. agencies and international partners to develop effective transportation plans, guaranteeing optimal performance across the entire supply chain.
The NavAir FMS program encompasses more than 70 countries with more than 30 program offices responsible for various weapon systems. Tapping into these international partnerships and a network of experts in international sustainment could significantly enhance TTXs. By involving international partners and allies right from the beginning, the United States would create a regional sustainment framework to support its deployed forces at the point of need.
