Soldier Equipment in the Post-War Era

When a soldier or marine leaves his or her vehicle in a war zone, they become “dismounted.” The Iraq and Afghanistan wars quickly became dismounted wars, and our defense apparatus found the ways and means to turn the individual warfighter into one of the most effective weapons systems in our arsenal. And while there are many quarrels over the nature and strategy of the ongoing terror war, no one can dispute that ten years after 9-11 the American homeland has not taken another major hit, thanks in large part to these highly professional forward deployed human assets.

The industrial base and global supply system supporting American warfighters has been transformed over the last decade. The dividing line between defense specific products and the broader commercial industrial base has blurred. Increasingly, military demand is being satisfied with commercial products and solutions provided through non-traditional government purchasing avenues such as the Army’s Rapid Fielding Initiative, with its heavy emphasis on dismounted and individual soldiers.

The evolution in defense acquisition and sustainment extends to the supply chain. Private sector supply chain managers have the ability to lean out stocks, squeeze out price, and improve delivery times and accuracy. There are numerous examples of the defense department taking advantage of this by using commercial vehicles such as prime contractors, or writing performance-based logistics agreements.

We have left Iraq, and as the conflict in Afghanistan winds down there are serious concerns that both the organizational and supply chain innovations that created these solutions will atrophy, and the defense acquisition system will return to its old, cold war ways.

Some organizations in the defense department see the need to expand the use of new acquisition approaches or explore additional techniques. The Defense Logistics Agency’s new director, Vice Admiral Mark Harnitchek, is seeking to make significant changes to the way his agency operates. For example, he is considering expanding the use of reverse auctions at each of his agency’s centers to reduce the costs of parts and materials. He is looking to reduce his inventory, which is a major cost item. He is open to making big moves to modernize the Defense Logistics Agency.

Similarly, the U.S. Army is considering ways of sustaining its Rapid Equipping Force and Rapid Fielding Initiatives. The Army is looking for purchasing and delivery strategies that will ensure rapid access to the new capabilities that are both saving the lives of our soldiers and marines, and making them more lethal offensive weapons.

Last week on Capitol Hill Congressmen Larry Kissell, Bill Owens, and Chris Gibson held a forum on how they helped build the current fast-moving, soldier-oriented supply-chain from their powerful, elected positions. All three are Members of the House Armed Services Committee, two are veterans, and they have collectively re-invented science and technology around the soldier, and showed that defense in-depth starts with the right clothing and right equipment for the dismounted warrior. There have been a lot of complaints in recent years about how Members of Congress have become out of touch with the military and weapons policies, but if last week’s forum was any indication, that may be changing.