Amid rising tensions with China, the US military has set itself the goal of ensuring the deployment of troops and cargo over long distances in a contentious environment.
The US Army needs to shift its focus on logistics and prepare to deploy large numbers of troops and equipment to the Indo-Pacific in the face of the growing threat posed by China, according to several senior US officials.
“It’s a gigantic problemespecially in that priority theater of operations,” said General James Rainey, head of the Army of the Future Command (AFCfor its acronym in English), during a conference in Washington, referring to the Indo-Pacific region, collects Defense News.
This type of problem was recognized in the doctrine of Multi-Domain Operations that the Army released last fall. Likewise, the secretary of the military branch, Christine Wormuth, commissioned last October to the Army Materiel Command (AMC) lead efforts to develop a system for the deployment of troops and equipment in a conflictive environmentthat is, a scenario in which it is impossible to operate freely without the interference of adversaries.
Currently, the AFC and AMC are developing a strategy and plans in this regard, Rainey told the media specialized in military affairs.
The efforts of these agencies are focused on areas such as the acquisition of new capabilitiescollaboration with the industrial base, operational lines of communication, increasing the efficiency and survivability of deployed formations, as well as improving the logistical supportthe general specified.
“The most difficult fight to maintain”
The outlet also quotes the deputy commander of the AMC, Lieutenant General Christopher Mohan, who confirmed this week that they are “very focused” on the Indo-Pacific. “It’s probably the fight harder to maintain, due to the geographical distances and the large amount of water that there is”, he argued.
These plans do not imply a diversion of attention devoted to Europe and the conflict in Ukraine, but it will mean that more and more budgetary decisions will be “guided towards the growing threat“Said the high official in reference to Chinaas defined in the 2022 National Defense Strategy.
Process automation
According to Mohan, the US military learned and demonstrated by supporting Ukraine that they are capable of move loads of ammunition and equipment rapidly throughout the world, and are now considering modernizing the layout of their arsenals, prioritizing “the smallest and most dispersed locations.”
To do this, the Army is working on greater predictability and precision in logistics, improving the process of collecting data on the condition of weapons, equipment and parts, Mohan added. In this sense, he pointed out that the automation of some of the processes would expedite supplies to the places where they are needed.
Likewise, he stressed that one of the main tasks is to ensure the flow of logistics information in real time in conditions of a conflictive environment. In this context, he gave as an example the incorporation of the artificial intelligence in the automation of processes, such as the automatic dispatch of refueling parts and instructions to mechanics in response to the indication of a technical failure in a tank.