US Army Brigade Sustainment in Decisive Action Operations Newsletter

By U.S. Department of the Army

Army sustainment planners are comfortable deploying into a mature theater where a majority of sustainment is already in place and much of it contracted out. Steady-state sustainment operations supported from forward operating bases like those in Iraq or Afghanistan do not exist in the decisive action (DA) operational environment (OE). The brigade combat team (BCT) decisive action operational environment at the National Training Center (NTC) is fast-paced, complex, and unpredictable. It replicates deployment into an immature theater where brigade combat team sustainment is conducted in an austere environment with only organic assets focusing on this fast-paced, complex, unpredictable combat against a regional-peer with counterinsurgency elements engaged in close combat operations. This complexity creates challenging BCT support operations requiring organized planning processes to synchronize sustainment execution. Sustainment in DA operations is a dynamic challenge that requires technically sound sustainment leaders and Soldiers to plan, synchronize and execute successfully. Sustainment must be integrated with all other warfighting functions and consistently trained on to a high level of proficiency. When sustainment operations are not synchronized or managed, they limit the commander's options and freedom of movement. The worst possible outcome is ineffective sustainment negatively affecting maneuver forces from meeting their objectives. The following collection presents sustainment observations, insight, and lessons learned at the NTC. Units which implement these practices will increase their likelihood of success in a decisive action environment and certainly be more prepared to ensure freedom of action, extended operational reach, and prolonged endurance for the BCT regardless of their mission.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1076307507
• ISBN13: 9781076307507
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 11.0"