Sustainment: Creating Freedom of Action

by 2WO Lim Keng Hung Alfred, Singapore Armed Forces

In 2021, Admiral John Aquilino, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, stated that the Indo-Pacific region has a complex set of responsibilities. He pointed out that the region faces multiple layers of problems with four major national security threats; China, Russia, North Korea, and violent extremist organizations within the region (Wilson, 2023). Therefore, the sustainment warfighting functions are vital in the United States (U.S.) Armed Forces’ capability to mobilize and deploy its forces. It enables them to sustain high-intensity operations across various regions in case conflicts or threats emerge.

Gully (2018) quoted then Army Material Command’s Commander, General Gustave F. Perna that “Soldiers cannot win on the battlefield without weapons to shoot, tanks to maneuver, food to eat and the logistics support to ensure those provisions get to the right place at the right time” (para. 2). As such, the notion of sustainment warfighting function is to enable Combatant Commanders (CCDR) to have the freedom of action, create flexibility to expend the operational reach, and having the necessary capabilities to endure the prolonged missions until war is win (Department of the Army [DA], 2019a). Henceforth, for the U.S. Armed Forces to continue to maintain its superiority in the respective region, one must understand the importance of Sustainment Preparation of the Operational Environment (SPoOE) and Operational Contract Support (OCS) as it plays a crucial role for the U.S. Armed Forces to create their freedom of action, operational reach, and endurance through any conflict of war.

Sustainment Preparation of the Operational Environment

Planning for sustainment is a critical aspect of any military operation. As Riley (2023) pointed out, commanders must incorporate estimated requirements into their plans to ensure that sustainment efforts can adapt as the situation evolves. By accounting for the sustainment support and delivery of resupply, a military force can effectively build depth and complexity into its plans, eventually enabling forces to maintain operational tempo, respond to changing circumstances, and achieve their strategic goals.

According to DA (2019b), sustainment planners and staff execute SPoOE to develop a sound sustainable plan that visualizes the Operating Environment (OE) and see how sustainment operations work out in the OE if circumstances change based on available resources and support. Furthermore, DA (2022) emphasizes that planning is the art and science of the CCDR to understand a situation, envision a desired future, and determine effective ways for future action or request any support to achieve the mission. Thus, the concurrent SPoOE planning with the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) and leveraging the Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) report reinforce SPoOE to consider other factors such as infrastructure, terrain, weather, civil considerations, informational or any areas of interest that will disturb operations outcome. IPB is a critical aspect of mission analysis that aids in developing a friendly course of action and decision points in relationship with MDMP. The MDMP conducts risk management, identifies the potential hazards and the impact of those hazards, and provides commanders guidance to mitigate risk associated with those hazards before the final order (DA, 2022).

For instance, Route Irish, the world’s most dangerous road during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), is the only route between the operational base and the local airport. However, this long stretch of the route is known for its ambush site and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) attacks due to the trash, debris, and waste along the route (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005). For almost two years, the U.S. Armed Forces have suffered casualties while traveling the Route Irish (Spinner, 2005). This pointed out the lack of SPoOE planning in conjunction with IPB and MDMP to identify hazards and the physical environment to mitigate risk to prevent the loss of troops and resources at Route Irish during the planning phase.

The lesson learned from Route Irish reinforces the importance of SPoOE planning in conjunction with IPB and MDMP, which led to risk mitigation or damage control. Nevertheless, according to Trevino et al. (2019), after initiating OCS to employ laborers to remove trash and debris as part of the sustainment effort, there is a significant reduction in IED attacks and ambushes. It also improved the security effort and survivability of the troops and resources, and lastly, achieved the commander’s primary objective of transporting troops and resources (Trevino et al., 2019). Therefore, OCS can play a significant role in military operations.

Operational Contract Support

In military operations, the U.S. Armed Forces have long recognized the importance of leveraging resources across various levels to support their missions effectively. According to Riley (2023), there are four distinct levels of sustainment support; national, strategic, operational, and tactical. At the national and strategic levels, they focus on how industry and supply chain elements integrate to meet logistical needs and services and ensure efficiency in quality and cost while maintaining a robust supply of essential resources. In contrast, the operational and tactical layer builds upon the strategic level by translating plans into actionable steps, involving coordination among multiple units and assets to execute missions effectively on a larger scale. At these levels, units can sometimes request critical resources or services not initially planned in response to changing circumstances to achieve their strategic goals.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2019), OCS plays a crucial role in the success of joint operations by facilitating the planning and acquisition of essential supplies and services from commercial sources across all levels. The OCS encompasses three key Lines of Effort (LOE); contract integration, contracting support, and contractor management. Each LOE within OCS enables the seamless integration of capabilities into campaign planning and strengthening the operational outcomes. By incorporating OCS into the planning process, military planners can define and develop requirements effectively, timely, and efficiently. This involves determining whether these requirements can fulfill internally through military resources or outsourcing to contractors to leverage external expertise and capabilities to enhance their overall mission success.

For instance, the category four hurricane that destroyed Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in 2018 brought to light the critical role of defense contractors in preparedness and response efforts. In the aftermath of the disaster, these contractors swiftly mobilized and displayed their indispensable capabilities. Using advanced drone technology, conducted aerial surveillance to assess airfield damage with unparalleled speed and accuracy, removing debris and restoring vital infrastructure (Trevino et al., 2019).

Exemplifying their expertise and reliabilities, the successful execution of these tasks by defense contractors reinforced the importance of OCS at the national crisis management capabilities. While at the tactical level, the OCS for Route Irish during OIF illustrated the contractor’s support in the specific tactical situation. Despite the initial lack of planning, the attitude of sustainment effort through OCS at the point of friction with less regard for cost efficiency demonstrated the will to win at all costs (Trevino et al., 2019). Therefore, effective OCS collaboration between contractors and in-service personnel during times of crisis or war can aid the U.S. Armed Forces in preventing further damage and providing essential support to affected areas.

Conclusion

In military operations, sustainment planning is equally important as operation planning. The lessons learned from Route Irish have set the foundation of sustainment planning in conjunction with IPB and MDMP. Therefore, for the U.S. Armed Forces to continue to maintain its superiority in the respective region, one must understand the importance of SPoOE and OCS as they play a crucial role in the U.S. Armed Forces to create their freedom of action, operational reach, and endurance through any conflict of war.

References

Department of the Army. (2019a). Sustainment (ADP 4-0). https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18450_ADP%204-0%20FINAL%20WEB.pdf

Department of the Army. (2019b). Sustainment Operation (FM 4-0). https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN19602_FM%204-0%20FINAL%20WEB%20v2.pdf

Department of the Army. (2022). Planning and orders production (FM 5-0) https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN36775-FM_5-0-001-WEB-3.pdf

Joint Chiefs of Staff. (2019). Operational Contract Support (JP 4-10). https://jdeis.js.mil/jdeis/index.jsp?pindex=27&pubId=689

Spinner, J. (2005, November 4). Easy sailing along once-perilous road to baghdad airport. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/11/04/easy-sailing-along-once-perilous-road-to-baghdad-airport/5b5ffd59-a00e-4bf2-bbdb-602b3b390230/

The Sydney Morning Herald. (2005, June 8). The world’s most dangerous road. https://www.smh.com.au/world/the-worlds-most-dangerous-road-20050608-gdlh5g.html

Trevino, A., Greathouse, J., Siefkes, J., & Ting, James. (2019). Leveraging our war-fighting capabilities through the lens of operational contract support. Air & Space Power Journal. https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/ASPJ/journals/Volume-33_Issue-3/SLP-Trevino_et_al.pdf

Wilson, D. (2023). Army sustainment capabilities: Instrumental to the joint force in the indo-pacific region. NDU Press. https://ndupress.ndu.edu/JFQ/Joint-Force-Quarterly-108/Article/Article/3264632/army-sustainment-capabilities-instrumental-to-the-joint-force-in-the-indo-pacif/

2nd Warrant Officer (2WO) Alfred Lim is a Combat Engineer in the Singapore Armed Forces. He served in the Engineers Training Institute as a Platoon Commander, training Singapore’s next generation of Noncommissioned Officers. 2WO Alfred Lim currently attends the Sergeants Major Course – Class 74 at the US Army Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center of Excellence as an international military student.

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