Airman Magazine: Contested Logistics
The Debrief: Weather and Contested Logistics
Global Exercises and Interoperability
Contested Logistics and Space Sustainment
Logistics on the Attack

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How does the Air Force confront STRATEGIC RISKS related to conducting LOGISTICS in CONTESTED ENVIRONMENTS?

Contested logistics is a term describing an environment in which an adversary presents challenges in all domains and directly targets logistics, operations, facilities and activities in the United States and abroad, or in transit from one location to the other. To remain ready to face threats posed by peer adversaries. General David W. Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, emphasizes four core areas that urgently demand our attention; how we develop people, generate readiness, project power and develop capabilities.

The National Defense Strategy unambiguously identified the People's Republic of China as the pacing challenge and identifies logistics and sustainment as a key operational area. Considering the evolving threat landscape and the Air Force's efforts to adapt and refocus its force design, the service has deemed that the logistics enterprise must engage in a combination of evolutionary and revolutionary changes to stay ahead of potential adversaries and to ensure readiness today and tomorrow. The Department of the Air Force intends to overcome the challenge of contested logistics by enabling agile combat employment, improving the forward posture, driving decision advantage with logistics, information management tools, and fielding improved active and passive defenses as part of the Joint Force.

In this issue of Airman Magazine, we look at some of the ways the U.S. Air Force is prioritizing logistics as a cornerstone of an integrated defense and the contributions of commands in multiple domains and building a more resilient, agile and responsive logistics enterprise. We will examine the contributions of the 557th Weather Wing and the Space Force to logistical resilience and readiness, how training and exercises hone the interoperability of Allies, Partners and the Joint Force in securing logistics across the globe and the need to incorporate new technologies to ensure navigation, timing and supply line integrity, as forces are on the move and actively in combat.
 

 

Contested logistics is a term describing an environment in which an adversary presents challenges in all domains and directly targets logistics, operations, facilities and activities in the United States and abroad, or in transit from one location to the other. To remain ready to face threats posed by peer adversaries. General David W. Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, emphasizes four core areas that urgently demand our attention; how we develop people, generate readiness, project power and develop capabilities.

The National Defense Strategy unambiguously identified the People's Republic of China as the pacing challenge and identifies logistics and sustainment as a key operational area. Considering the evolving threat landscape and the Air Force's efforts to adapt and refocus its force design, the service has deemed that the logistics enterprise must engage in a combination of evolutionary and revolutionary changes to stay ahead of potential adversaries and to ensure readiness today and tomorrow. 

The Department of the Air Force intends to overcome the challenge of contested logistics by enabling agile combat employment, improving the forward posture, driving decision advantage with logistics, information management tools, and fielding improved active and passive defenses as part of the Joint Force.

In this issue of Airman Magazine, we look at some of the ways the U.S. Air Force is prioritizing logistics as a cornerstone of an integrated defense and the contributions of commands in multiple domains and building a more resilient, agile and responsive logistics enterprise. We will examine the contributions of the 557th Weather Wing and the Space Force to logistical resilience and readiness, how training and exercises hone the interoperability of Allies, Partners and the Joint Force in securing logistics across the globe and the need to incorporate new technologies to ensure navigation, timing and supply line integrity, as forces are on the move and actively in combat.
 

 



 

"When we think about the scale of Great Power Competition and even conflict. That scale of peer-to-peer war is something that, thankfully, the globe hasn't seen nearly as much of since the end of World War II. That doesn't mean that it couldn't happen again."

- Lt. Gen. Tom D. Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering, Logistics, and Force Protection


 


 

"When we think about the scale of Great Power Competition and even conflict. That scale of peer-to-peer war is something that, thankfully, the globe hasn't seen nearly as much of since the end of World War II. That doesn't mean that it couldn't happen again."

- Lt. Gen. Tom D. Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering, Logistics, and Force Protection


 
 
 
Airman Magazine Podcast: The Debrief

 
 

The Debrief:
Weather and Contested Logistics

In this episode of ‘The Debrief,’ Lt. Gen. Tom Miller, deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection and Col. Patrick Williams, the Air Force director of weather, explain the current security environment and weather Airmen’s role in Great Power Competition.

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"Through the course of military operations throughout history, success or failure in military operations can largely be driven by the logistics sustainment that has enabled them in a contested environment."

- Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, Commander, Pacific Air Forces


 
 
 

"I think it's useful to think beyond just the kinetic piece, a cyberattack to confuse or disrupt the information that would make the mission successful is something that an adversary would want to take advantage of. And so, we work our way through all domains. It's air. It's surface. It's also cyber."

- Lt. Gen. Tom D. Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Engineering, Logistics, and Force Protection


 

 
 

Global Exercises and Interoperability

The Air Force is teaming up with the joint force, industry, academia, and allied/partner forces around the globe to stay ahead of near-peer competition. Learning the rules, capabilities and limitations of our joint partners makes us a more harmonious and resilient force. 

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"Through the course of military operations throughout history, success or failure in military operations can largely be driven by the logistics sustainment that has enabled them in a contested environment."

- Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, Commander, Pacific Air Forces


 
 
 
 

 
 

Contested Logistics and Space Sustainment

The U.S. Space Force is pioneering advancements in space sustainment to enhance satellite durability and functionality in hostile environments. By developing robust space logistics and sustainment strategies, the Space Force ensures that our warfighters remain supported in modern warfare and logistics.

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"The paradigm shift I think that we're seeing is that now we're taking the space domain, it's being integrated seamlessly across all the other domains. Now we need to figure out how that looks and where we need to go from there."

- Maj. Rachael Nutting, Division Chief, Point to Point Delivery, Space Systems Command 
 
 
 

"We're going to be able to leapfrog over air, land, and sea domains and provide capability from space. We're already providing combat capability to the joint war fighter but being able to provide them logistic support and sustainment of their operations will be quite transformational."

- JonDavid M. "JD" Duvall, Space Logistics Officer, Space Systems Command 


 

 
 

Logistics on the Attack

As the U.S. Air Force confronts a new great power competition with near-peer adversaries, Airmen and Guardians are implementing future-focused strategies informed by institutional knowledge.

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"When I look at the theater, it is 100 million square miles, covers 52% of the globe, and logistics is challenged kinetically and non-kinetically by those who would keep us out. All of this is underpinned by that relationship with allies and partners that enables access basing and over flight. The more places from which we have to operate makes us better, makes us stronger and certainly more responsive regardless of what the crisis is."

- Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, Commander, Pacific Air Forces 
 

 
 
 
 
 
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