Practical Sustainment Concepts for the Non-Linear Battlespace
Practical Sustainment Concepts for the Non-Linear Battlespace
Practical Sustainment Concepts for the Non-Linear Battlespace
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<strong>for</strong> sustainment doctrine will permit a more comprehensive planning ef<strong>for</strong>t <strong>for</strong> future<br />
operations.<br />
Functional and Integrated Command and Control<br />
Though <strong>the</strong> administration and management of nodes may vary from one<br />
organization to ano<strong>the</strong>r, resources lodging on <strong>the</strong> node tend to maintain command,<br />
control and administration along functional lines. <strong>Sustainment</strong> detachments deployed on<br />
nodes are most effective when pooling <strong>the</strong>ir resources toge<strong>the</strong>r in a collective approach<br />
to sustainment, while providing service generally to lodging units. It would be inefficient<br />
to consider <strong>the</strong> establishment of separate kitchens, medical stations and maintenance<br />
detachments <strong>for</strong> each unit that has a section sized organization deployed in a given<br />
node. Even sustainment organizations controlled by units o<strong>the</strong>r than <strong>the</strong> NSE, be <strong>the</strong>y<br />
temporary or permanent attributions, tend to combine <strong>the</strong>ir ef<strong>for</strong>ts with o<strong>the</strong>r in-situ<br />
sustainment detachments to provide service generally to all lodging units. The<br />
combination of ef<strong>for</strong>t of collocated resources can lead to better success in achieving<br />
priorities at <strong>for</strong>mation level.<br />
The mounting and initial establishment in a non-contiguous <strong>the</strong>atre would likely<br />
follow <strong>the</strong> same logic. Where <strong>the</strong> organization is deployed across few, larger nodes, <strong>the</strong><br />
chain of command would consequently follow functional lines, and <strong>the</strong> employment<br />
would be coordinated largely on a technical level. As development progresses,<br />
manoeuvre units establish nodes across <strong>the</strong> sustainment network, each requiring a task<br />
tailored sustainment detachment. The generation of <strong>the</strong>se integrated sustainment<br />
teams (IST) can only be coordinated centrally by Log Ops, as <strong>the</strong> functional<br />
Commanders lack <strong>the</strong> situational awareness with supported units. However, Log Ops<br />
nei<strong>the</strong>r commands nor administers, so some parallel command structure is required in<br />
order to manage resources that are deployed in <strong>the</strong> various nodes. IST, which may be<br />
at section or platoon level, can be grouped geographically into sub-units in a completely<br />
separate command structure. The functional chain of command must still exist, in order<br />
to coordinate and advise <strong>the</strong> commander from a technical or functional point of view.<br />
As was suggested earlier, COIN operations could lend <strong>the</strong>mselves to <strong>the</strong> division of<br />
organization between nodes and links. Consequently, it could be possible to generate a<br />
separate link organization that would be responsible <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> tactical movement between<br />
<strong>the</strong> FOBs. It would have elements of <strong>for</strong>ce protection, transport, recovery, medevac and<br />
mobility resources that would focus on <strong>the</strong> conduct of manoeuvre operations, all<br />
coordinated by Log Ops along <strong>the</strong> operational chain. Figure 11 shows <strong>the</strong> difference<br />
between <strong>the</strong> functional chain of command <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> technical generation of sustainment<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>t, which is not at all based on any point in time or space, and <strong>the</strong> integrated chain<br />
that is responsible <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> application of sustainment in specific times and spaces.<br />
Canadian Army Journal Vol. 11.2 Summer 2008 57