We have 2 MPFs. Prepo stocks are protected by, same thing that guarantees logistics: California, Texas, and New York all have a higher GDP than Russia, basically we have a country which far out-produces all enemies combined. We own all 10 super-carriers, which have 7 times the capacity and capability of the 10 non-US jump-carriers on Earth. U.K. is adding the only 2 non-U.S. super-carriers, and integrating them into our battle-groups. PM Theresa May offered this last year in seeking a post-Brexit trade deal, understanding the new transactional relationship in D.C.

So omnipresence, deals, protect force projection. Germany, Japan, Korea rely on global trade model we protect.

Now tactically: integrate concept of sustainment into scheme of maneuver. CAR and Sustainment ROC are two separate sand-table briefs. BDE XO, CSM attend Sustainment ROC, ensure synergy.

Challenges seen: everyone fighting forward, and enemy exploits seams between BNs. Combined arms maneuver isn’t linear. Rear-area security is vulnerable. BDEs lack practice fighting their BNs, ‘allow them to do their own thing’, literally. That’s not mission-command. Fighting as a Div. is lost-art to combined arms maneuver.

You typically conceal the UMCP, BAS’ and keep sustainment back to avoid enemy artillery. Hard to do vs. hybrid non-conventional forces, cyber and other enemy observation efforts. You circumvent with cohesive plan – use event matrix, find lulls, times units move, stay hidden, quiet, (buried) and able to move quickly. The logstat and logsync not honored by XOs result in emergency resupply, risking assets on roads. Predictable, forecasted, communicated resupply is best defense, priority for an IN Coy XO.

As FSC CDR, I developed a sector sketch with overlapping fighting positions, multiple rally points, vehicles next to trailers to allow hook and book, and slept in vehicles. I didn’t know then to train on anti-armor weapons and the overall protection plan didn’t incorporate everyone – you had the FLOT and then rear-area. Also maneuver must decisively seize initiative and keep enemy engage to increase safety of LOCs.