Precision-Guided Logistics. Flexible Support for the Force-Projection Army's High-Technology Weapons,

What should the Armys logistics system of the 21st century look like With theaters, threats, missions, and resources available all unknown, the Army must look for new solutions to the Armys force-projection role. How must logisticians accommodate themselves to a world of radically changed weapons, doctrine, threats, and forms of operations This report argues that just as technology and new concepts have revolutionized combat operations, so too must logistics be revolutionized to make it leaner and more responsive. To help identify alternatives that will make the logistics system more capable of meeting this revolutionary challenge, the report examines the three operations the Army has been recently involved in-Operation Just Cause OJC in Panama and Operation Desert Shield ODS and Operation Desert Storm ODSt in Southwest Asia. Although these operations were substantial successes, in both logistics and, of course, combat terms, there is the question of how robust the logistics support the Army provided its deploying forces was. For example, what if the uncertainties of war had increased the stress on logistics This study explores the robustness inherent in the Armys current logistics concept by analyzing the consequences of extend- ing the three recent missions in challenging ways What if the fighting had lasted longer in OJC What if fighting had broken out early in ODS What if the operating tempo of ODSt had been more demanding Our intent is to determine whether the Army can rely on the logistics structure in possible future operations and, if not, to determine what capabilities the Army should demand of its future logistics systems.