Improving Unrestricted Line Officer Community Corps Logistics Knowledge: Key Concepts and Processes

Abstract

Naval leadership has identified the lack of logistics experience as a critical force vulnerability in the Unrestricted Line (URL) community officer corps. They believe this gap will limit the Navy’s ability to sustain operations in contested and constrained environments. As the United States enters a new era of strategic competition with near-peer competitors, increasing the logistical knowledge and educational experiences of the URL community is of paramount importance. Peacetime naval operations have dominated the operational landscape for several decades with logistical support mirroring that static and predictable environment. Strategic competition will challenge the established logistic concepts and those concepts must also change. This project develops case studies to equip URL officers with the necessary mindset to approach and analyze complex logistic concerns. Each case study touches on specific logistics topics, incorporates broader logistical implications, and uses various investigative and analytic tools to help solve real-world problems. Equally important, this study will build a stronger foundation that will make the warfighter more combat effective and further enhance his or her grasp of operational and tactical environments.