Logistics Generalists Development Programs

This paper traces the historical professional development programs utilized to identify and develop Logistics Generalists through the past three decades. The Army has had three different logistics generalists development programs 1956-1974 the Logistics Officer Program LOP 1974-1983 The Logistics Management Officer and 1983-present The Logistician Development Program LDP. The author analyzes how the logistics generalist was selected, trained, assigned, and developed during this period, what caused the demise of the first two programs, and how well the LDP is doing in meeting todays objectives. All three programs were designed to create a logistician, multiskilled in two or more logistics functions. The LOP and the LDP recognized the need for these skills from the major through the colonel level and the Logistics Management Officer program only recognized the requirement at the colonel level. The demise of the Logistics Management Officer program was because it only recognized colonel level positions and disregarded those at the lower levels. Both the LOP and the LDP were sound programs which were designed adequately to develop the required skills of the multi-functional logistician from the major through colonel however, the poor implementation and enforcement of program objectives caused the demised of the LOP and is not statistically any better for the LDP.