Generating Adaptive Capability from Constraints: Aligning Operational Dependency, Requirements, and Competitive Procurement to Sustain Advantage in Maritime Expeditionary Operations

Abstract

This research examines how infrastructure-driven operational dependency in maritime expeditionary environments can be translated into scalable capability through alignment across dependency identification, requirements development, and competitive procurement. Contemporary operations are constrained by contested logistics, distributed infrastructure networks, and interdependent systems whose performance cannot be assumed, yet existing processes do not effectively convert dependency-driven risk into actionable requirements or generate responsive industrial output at scale. To address this gap, the research develops an integrated framework linking geostrategic logistics evaluation and nodal selection (GEO-LENS), functionally defined capability requirements, and variable portfolio contracting (VPC). GEO-LENS identifies and prioritizes dependencies using a structured Operational Dependency Index, generating distributed demand signals that are executed through a competitive, multi-vendor procurement model. Results demonstrate that dependency is concentrated in high-leverage nodes and that energy functions as a system-level pacing constraint. The VPC model improves performance while reducing cost and supply risk by shifting innovation incentives from government-directed processes to continuous competition among firms. These findings demonstrate that constraint, when identified and translated into demand, becomes a driver of adaptability, innovation, and scale—transforming operational vulnerability from a source of risk into a source of advantage.