Military Logistics

United States Marine Corps
q&a
A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans
Nov 7, 2021
Before they became RAND researchers, Jonathan Wong and Joslyn Fleming served as U.S. Marines. In this interview, they discuss what made them want to join the service, what led them to research, and how their military experience guides the work they do at RAND.
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Supply Chain Management
commentary
Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains
Bradley Martin
Jun 22, 2021
The RAND Blog
After the Cold War, U.S. logistics planners moved away from a focus on effectiveness to a focus on efficiency in the sense that little is left idle for significant periods and that commodities are delivered at minimum cost. The ability of the system to support the joint force in the event of major conflict is at best untested and could be problematic.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Japan and Dynamic Force Employment
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 23, 2020
Yomiuri Shimbun
In April, the United States ended a program that maintained a rotational bomber force to the U.S. territory of Guam. While the removal of a permanent bomber presence in the region has caused some in Japan to worry, U.S. commitment to Japan's defense shows no sign of changing nor does America's deterrent capability.
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Philippines
commentary
If U.S. Forces Have to Leave the Philippines, Then What?
Caroline Baxter
Feb 28, 2020
Foreign Policy Research Institute
If the United States were to lose access to bases in the Philippines, the effects would ripple outward. Maintaining alliances in the Indo-Pacific in all their manifestations is critical—and the details matter.
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commentary
Does Japan Need an Aircraft Carrier?
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Oct 5, 2018
Defense One
Japan has not possessed an aircraft carrier in more than 70 years. But that may soon change as the Japanese government is debating retrofitting a class of destroyers to turn them into aircraft carriers. Considering both operational needs and resources limitations, does an aircraft carrier for Japan make sense?
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Combat Support Operations
commentary
Lives on the Line: The A2AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Jul 31, 2018
Modern War Institute (West Point)
Countries such as Russia and China continue to develop and expand the ability to integrate long-range strike, anti-ship, anti-air, space and cyber abilities. Provision of medical support could be a worthy priority for NATO planners when considering deterrence of and defense against near-peer or peer adversaries.
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Military Mobilization
commentary
Military Mobility Returns to the Forefront in Europe
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Jun 25, 2018
Defense News
The importance of military mobility has returned only recently to the international high-level agenda, specifically NATO and the European Union. The EU is expected to tackle the issue of military mobility during a European Council meeting in late June, and NATO will convene a summit in July.
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Military Doctrine
commentary
Toward One Understanding of Multiple Domains
Michael Spirtas
May 2, 2018
C4ISRNET
The U.S. defense community can and should do what it can to get the most benefit from operating across domains. It just needs to remember to proceed carefully to discern between actual benefits and falsehoods that may do more harm than good.
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Military Mobilization
commentary
Preparing for the NATO Summit: Why Military Mobility Should Be on Top of the Agenda
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Feb 26, 2018
RealClearDefense
Improving military mobility in Europe has recently gathered momentum. But due to the complexity of the issue, it remains to be seen what specific progress will be made by the NATO summit in July. The same goes for how new EU initiatives will complement NATO requirements.
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Japan
commentary
Giving Japan a Military
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 20, 2017
The Japan Times
After 70 years, Japan may finally be on the cusp of acquiring its own military. Legally, that is. Prime Minister Abe has proposed a change to Japan's constitution to give legal standing to the Self-Defense Forces, and it's long overdue.
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Japan
commentary
Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 8, 2017
The Diplomat
Being a proactive contributor to peace involves risk if a country is serious about gaining real-world experience. Pulling out of South Sudan deprives Japan's Self-Defense Force of crucial operational experience and sends a confusing message to the United States and the international community.
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Military Personnel
commentary
The Most Enduring Lesson: People
James A. Blackwell, Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr, Don Snider
Apr 10, 2015
Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Magazine
Given the complex, technology-heavy, and conceptually-nuanced environment of today's military, the quality of military personnel is the dominant form of competitive advantage. All the services today place maintaining a high-quality force at the top of their list of priorities.
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Operational Readiness
commentary
The U.S. Army Must Remain Prepared for Battle
Gian Gentile
Apr 18, 2014
The Washington Post
Converting the Army into a force suited only for homeland defense or humanitarian missions abroad, without the ability to fight sophisticated foes as part of a joint force, would result in an unprepared Army.
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Defense Infrastructure
commentary
Should the U.S. Move the Marines to Guam?
Michael J. Lostumbo
Feb 28, 2014
The Diplomat
The option to permanently base Marines on Guam should hinge on the benefits of the location and the costs. Guam scores poorly on both counts and better options exist. However, previous guidance provided to the Marine Corps constrains consideration of such options.
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Civilian Military Workforce
commentary
A Lesson from Iraq War: How to Outsource War to Private Contractors
Molly Dunigan
Mar 19, 2013
Christian Science Monitor
Both to repeat the successes of private military contracting and to avoid the mistakes of contractors in the recent wars, the Department of Defense must consider several points specific to security contractors, writes Molly Dunigan.
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United States Army
commentary
Book Review: 'The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor' by Jake Tapper
Seth G. Jones
Jan 14, 2013
The Washington Post
Tapper spends too much time providing tactical details of battles and too little offering a nuanced, thoughtful explanation of why the U.S. Army struggled so much in Nuristan, writes Seth G. Jones.
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Military Logistics
commentary
Lean Thinking Comes to the Battlefield
Eric Peltz, Rick Eden
Jun 5, 2008
Forbes
The 1991 Gulf War represented the pinnacle of the U.S. industrial approach to warfare: overwhelming mass. Subsequently, the U.S. military began the shift to a new support paradigm, adapting the lean, best practices of contemporary business, write Eric Peltz and Rick Eden.
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Military Logistics

A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans

Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains

Japan and Dynamic Force Employment

If U.S. Forces Have to Leave the Philippines, Then What?

Does Japan Need an Aircraft Carrier?

Lives on the Line: The A2AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care

Military Mobility Returns to the Forefront in Europe

Toward One Understanding of Multiple Domains

Preparing for the NATO Summit: Why Military Mobility Should Be on Top of the Agenda

Giving Japan a Military

Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal

The Most Enduring Lesson: People

The U.S. Army Must Remain Prepared for Battle

Should the U.S. Move the Marines to Guam?

A Lesson from Iraq War: How to Outsource War to Private Contractors

Book Review: 'The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor' by Jake Tapper

Lean Thinking Comes to the Battlefield

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