Army Spc. Jose Ramirez directs a cargo truck to a parking space at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. Supplies and equipment to sustain the more than 20,000 service members and civilians from 15 different nations at the world’s busiest military airfield arrive here daily. But not all supplies arrive by air. The 386th Movement Control Team has processed more than 25,000 cargo trucks through this southern Afghanistan base since May.
Credit: Joint Sustainment Command – Afghanistan, 11/18/09
Exclusive Feature – Going to Afghanistan:The Osprey Squadron Prepares
In an interview just prior to the deployment of the Osprey squadron from North Carolina to Afghanistan, several members of the squadron talked with sldinfo.com about their upcoming deployment. The Osprey team discussed their preparation, some of their expectations and some of their thinking about how the Osprey could be used to benefit the MAGTF and the joint and allied forces.
Read More >>—General George Patton Jr.
Why Second Line of Defense?
This web site focuses on the creation and sustainment of military and
security capability. While much of the political debate focuses largely on
platforms, and the political impact of operations, what is often lost are
the nuts and bolts of creating, sustaining the right military capability
and deliver it at the right time to the warfighter. Second Line of Defense
(SLD) not only refers to the crucial role of the support community in a
broad sense (military logistics community; industrial players; civilian
contractors; etc) in doing so, but also to evolving public-private
partnerships among democracies in crafting real military strength.Find out more about us
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What's New
Meeting the Logistics and Sustainment Challenge: Towards a New Bargain Between Industry and Government
In a recent interview, Lou Kratz, Vice President, Logistics and Sustainment, Lockheed Martin Corporation, laid out an approach towards shaping a new convenant between industry and government in forging a success-based sustainment model. Today, “logistics and sustainment is not an afterthought. It is central to our core activities and central to our future in working with our customers”, he stresses.
Read More >>European Air Transport Fleet: Fleet or Framework?
On 17 November 2009, the European Defence Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board noted a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the establishment of a European Air Transport Fleet (EATF). EDA’s Former Deputy Chief Executive Dr. Himar Linnenkamp, analyses the status of such initiative balancing the good and the bad news…
Read More >>Vertical Lift Industry:Shaping a Way Ahead on R&D
The Administration proposes a new model for the Vertical Lift Industry.The initiative is designed to re-organize the scattered Research and Development money within the DOD budget for vertical lift platforms, and to provide a central clearing point for shaping the way forward for the industry and the government.
Read More >>For more information about each publication, click on one of the following thumbnails
National Defense University Study Recommends DOD Step Into The Manufacturing Policy Void
The 2009 Manufacturing Industry Study conducted by the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. concludes that U.S. manufacturing is “on the wrong side of an emerging inflection point, from which it may not be able to recover without concerted action.”
Read More >>Vertical Lift Industry:Shaping a Way Ahead on R&D
The Administration proposes a new model for the Vertical Lift Industry.The initiative is designed to re-organize the scattered Research and Development money within the DOD budget for vertical lift platforms, and to provide a central clearing point for shaping the way forward for the industry and the government.
Read More >>Leveraging Naval Technologies: The Case of the DDG-1000
Ninety years ago, British strategist and inventor Major General J.F.C. Fuller understood that “Tools, or weapons, if only the right ones can be discovered, form 99 percent of victory….
Read More >>Meeting the Logistics and Sustainment Challenge: Towards a New Bargain Between Industry and Government
In a recent interview, Lou Kratz, Vice President, Logistics and Sustainment, Lockheed Martin Corporation, laid out an approach towards shaping a new convenant between industry and government in forging a success-based sustainment model. Today, “logistics and sustainment is not an afterthought. It is central to our core activities and central to our future in working with our customers”, he stresses.
Read MoreEuropean Air Transport Fleet: Fleet or Framework?
On 17 November 2009, the European Defence Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board noted a Letter of Intent (LOI) on the establishment of a European Air Transport Fleet (EATF). EDA’s Former Deputy Chief Executive Dr. Himar Linnenkamp, analyses the status of such initiative balancing the good and the bad news…
Read MoreFrench Land Forces Support:Looking For the Best Business Models
A Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) approach is in effect being implemented in France, whereby the industry is now welcome to offer customized approaches and solutions to a variety of maintenance and support challenges (…)The Army Chief of Staff (EMAT) is still refining its approach as far as the degree of outsourcing/partnership being considered in the long-term is concerned, but a general rule of thumb is starting to emerge.
Read MoreCon-ops, Competition and Capability
Ed Timperlake comments on Air Power Australia Assessments of AESA Radar Competitions (…): “Two mutually supporting papers published in Air Power Australia one by WGCDR Chris Mills and the other by Dr Carlo Kopp perfectly capture the action/reaction dynamic cycle of fighter aircraft design features.”
Read MoreOsprey Training Video
The video shows the MV-22 being used during combat training for urban operations.
Read MoreShaping a Collaborative Maritime Strategy for the Pacific: The USCG Role
The global changes induced by the war against terrorism with global means and the rise of key regional power centers are reshaping the maritime strategic environment. It is the coexistence of these two dynamics which is central for the period ahead.
Read MoreThe Connectivity Opportunity and Multi-Mission Similitude: the TTNT Example
With a significant shortfall in spending for new power projection platforms, the U.S. faces a core challenge of how to most effectively build forces for the years ahead…
Read MoreProviding Connectivity on the Go: The Role of Mobile Routers
A key transformation of the US military associated with the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan has been the use of the Internet …
Read MoreThe Evolving U.S. Military Space Paradigm: Lynchpin for a Global C4ISRD Enterprise
The more than 40 year history of US military space has entered a new phase. The US military space system was built as a unique overlay for the US intelligence community and the US military to provide for strategic deterrence of the Soviet Union. It has evolved over time into a global enabler for the transformation of the US military into a truly global force. It is now the lynchpin for what is emerging as a global C4ISRD enterprise enabling the global security and defense capabilities of the United States.
Read MoreThe Challenge of Maritime Security in a Globalized World: The Case of Securing the Suez Canal
Rupert Herbert-Burns, a senior analyst with the Danish firm “Risk Intelligence”, provides an assessment of the challenges of securing the Suez Canal in the evolving maritime security environment…
Read MoreFrancis Tusa on UK Afghanistan Force Specialisation
It was with something close to extreme, lip-smacking relish that a senior commander with recent operational experience of Afghanistan explained that recent Urgent Operational Requirements had meant that British Forces now had access to “… a fleet of vehicles that are increasingly Afghan bespoke”.
Read MoreSpeaking from Experience: Ken Miller’s Column
A key problem to a person who has been a career acquisition professional is simply the future of the acquisition work force and the challenges facing the Administration as they seek to re-set that work force. When I look at the future, I have to go back to the past…
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