Fundamentals of Naval Logistics - Essay Example

Our nation's military strength always has been a manifestation of our ability to equip, develop, and maintain our forces. Each of this aspects-equipment, developing, and maintaining-is indispensable, a link in a chain. Inevitably, however, our most up-to-date, most competent weapon systems will weaken and even the well-developed workforce will lose their efficiency swiftly if denied proper shore up. Rendering such support needs a comprehensive, smoothly operating infrastructure- and the practiced, knowledgeable, dedicated professionals to make it work. NDP 4, Naval Logistics, explains how we put into action essential logistic principles, functions, and fundamentals and how we utilize the resources of formal planning and logistic information support to achieve the crucial objective of equipped force readiness. Illustrating through the metaphor of a logistic channel, it enables the reader to specifically understand the entire process from the manufacturer's shipping terminal to the end-user.

At the same time, Naval Logistics highlights that the term ‘naval logistics’ refers to much more than materiel. Logistics includes several interrelated and often overlapping functions and potentials and provides support at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels (pp.7-9).

Application of the fundamental principles of Logistics such as responsiveness, simplicity, economy, flexibility, sustainability, survivability, and attainability, which act corollary to the principles of warfare, across the six broad functional areas of supply, transportation, maintenance, engineering, health services, and other services, when merged and equilibrated, would produce and deliver effective logistic support to our operating forces (pp.12-22). Furthermore, within each of the functional areas, an effective administration of the four elements of the logistic process such as acquisition, distribution, sustainment, and disposition will contribute heavily to the conversion of national resources into the services and products required to sustain the operational readiness.

Notwithstanding sound logistic planning and information support act as the cornerstone upon which the entire war operation must be based. Therefore, the failure of the logistic planning to adequately facilitate the necessary minimum of logistic support would result in operational failures or end up in becoming partially successful (p.34). The Naval Logistic planning just like any other project planning has the logistic estimate, logistic plan, logistic directive, and finally supervision, and is connected directly with the logistic information support.

Estimating what support is required and when the support should be inserted into the distribution channel is a significant task confronted with logisticians at all levels. Ultimately, the end-users of the logistic support are the functional forces, afloat and ashore, located around the world. Accurate prediction of future consumption and precise determination of what the end-users require will enhance uninterrupted and continuous logistic support. The continuous flow of logistic support in terms of pipelines has the qualities of readiness, mobility, flexibility, self-sustainability, which allows the naval forces to be expeditionary and to be able to establish and maintain a forward presence around the world (p.50).

Success or failure in military operations results from the comparative warfare power of the military, which the forces are capable of bringing to put up against an enemy, and the leadership, proficiency, and persistence with which it is applied. The naval logistic system functions to fulfill the operational requirements of our military forces and are connected directly to our fighting power and capability to put that power into action.