The Glass Backbone: Why the Army's Logistics Will Break in the Next War

The United States Army spent the last two decades optimizing sustainment for permissive environments defined by uncontested supply lines, contractor support, and static forward operating bases. As the National Defense Strategy shifts toward strategic competition and multidomain operations, however, this efficiency-driven model has become a liability. In large-scale combat operations, victory will depend less on which force fields the most advanced weapons and more on which can sustain combat power under persistent attack. A lethal maneuver force without a survivable logistical backbone is simply a stationary target waiting to culminate.