SUSTAINMENT: Integration, Survivability, Economy

We’ve covered five of the eight principles of sustainment so far this week. All of them are important. Missing one can potentially derail a sustainment plan. Even leaders of small units with limited organic sustainment assets should keep them in mind for reference.

For example, survivability is on the list this week. You may be doing company level tailgate Class I distro, but if you aren’t tactically sound you risk losing more than a day’s worth of meals. Survivability is just as key as any other principle, as we will see.

Reminder, we’ve taken the paragraphs of ADP 4-0 out of order so as to match the A CRISIS E mnemonic, but they are properly labeled in the text below.

As always, italics added for our emphasis, and […] indicates we cut out stuff we thought was fluff. And, as always: you’re smarter reading the pub yourself to be exactly sure

Big Chunks:

Integration

Survivability

Economy

The major takeaways:

• Integration is combining all of the sustainment elements within operations assuring unity of command and effort.

• Survivability is all aspects of protecting personnel, weapons, and supplies while simultaneously deceiving the enemy (JP 3-34).

• Economy is providing sustainment resources in an efficient manner that enables the commander to employ all assets to the greatest effect possible

Diving deep in the doctrinal details:

INTEGRATION

1-7. Integration is combining all of the sustainment elements within operations assuring unity of command and effort. It requires deliberate coordination and synchronization of sustainment with operations across all levels of war. Army forces integrate sustainment with joint and multinational operations to maximize the complementary and reinforcing effects of each Service component’s and other UAPs resources. One of the primary functions of the sustainment staff is to ensure the integration of sustainment with operations plans.

SURVIVABILITY

1-12. Survivability is all aspects of protecting personnel, weapons, and supplies while simultaneously deceiving the enemy (JP 3-34). Survivability consists of a quality or capability of military forces to avoid or withstand hostile actions or environmental conditions while retaining the ability to fulfill their primary mission. This quality or capability of military forces is closely related to protection (the preservation of a military force’s effectiveness) and to the protection/force protection warfighting function (the tasks or systems that preserve the force). Hostile actions and environmental conditions can disrupt the flow of sustainment and significantly degrade forces’ ability to conduct and sustain operations. In mitigating risks to sustainment, commanders often must rely on the use of redundant sustainment capabilities and alternative support plans.

ECONOMY

1-11. Economy is providing sustainment resources in an efficient manner that enables the commander to employ all assets to the greatest effect possible. Economy is achieved through efficient management, discipline, prioritization, and allocation of resources. Economy is further achieved by eliminating redundancies and capitalizing on joint interdependencies. Disciplined sustainment assures greatest possible tactical endurance and constitutes an advantage to commanders. Economy may be achieved by contracting for support or using HN resources that reduce or eliminate the use of limited military resources. By efficiently and ethically managing Army resources, Army professionals are stewards who act in the best interest of the American people.

Want to integrate your sustainment plans deep in sustainment doctrine? Take A Doctrine Deep Dive into sustainment with a read of ADP 4-0 here.