The U.S. Army will hold a seminar this summer to improve the joint force’s ability to quickly and effectively manage logistics and sustainment at the outset of a large-scale war, according to Gen. Charles Hamilton, the Army Materiel Command commander. The seminar will involve various commands, including Air Mobility Command, U.S. Transportation Command, and Air Force Materiel Command, focusing on coordination in the first 30 to 60 days of entering a conflict.
Hamilton changed the Army Materiel Command’s mission statement to focus on the joint global force when he took over. The goal is to detangle and integrate the moving parts across commands in a congested space, especially in the Indo-Pacific, which remains the Army’s most challenging operational theater.
In the fiscal 2025 budget request, the Army plans to allocate $1.5 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, focusing on contested logistics and sustainment capabilities. The service is requesting funding for new watercraft, command-and-control gear, and point-of-need sustainment capabilities in the region. The Army also plans to conduct exercises and collaborate with industry partners to enhance logistics and sustainment operations in a contested environment.
Although allies and partners will not participate in the initial seminar, the Army intends to include them later, as their involvement is crucial in a large-scale fight. Following the seminar, the Army will design an exercise focused on sustaining the force in the first two months of large-scale combat operations to assess planners’ and commanders’ reactions to the situation.
