Supply Chain: Wake Up; It is Critical to Military Success.

摘要

In the near and long term future, the Joint Force faces two significant challenges: first, a complex and competitive security environment; and second, significantly constrained resources. Regardless of these two challenges, joint warfighters will continue to require robust logistical support to accomplish their missions around the world. The DOD needs to maintain the viability of its global supply chain in order to provide the best support possible, operate within fiscal constraints, and maintain system effectiveness within the complexity and uncertainty of the future strategic environment. This thesis is an investigation of the governance, management of execution, and processes and procedures of the DOD supply chain to shed light on what may be the more optimal approach to organization and management to provide end-to-end logistical support to future joint warfighters. This paper enlists best practices from successful civilian supply chains and considers them to inform DOD thinking on the subject. A detailed analysis of the governing documents of the supply chain reveals ambiguous legislation, directives, and instructions that lead to inefficiency. By providing clear well-defined roles and responsibilities, the DOD would strengthen the governance of its supply chain.