Junior officers study tactics, so the military saw goes, while senior officers study strategy, and general officers study logistics.
Then there’s this.
Military spending is set to rise, with the Biden administration requesting $773 billion for the Pentagon’s next financial year, but the military is still running short of some weapons widely used in Ukraine.
Defense-company executives say they are ready to increase production of most weapons, but some experts say the Pentagon has only just begun issuing new contracts that would be required to replace some of the weaponry sent overseas.
“Industry really can’t do a lot until they have their contracts in hand,” said Bill Greenwalt, a former Pentagon official who managed the military’s industrial policy and is now a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “We are still in that limbo phase.”
The Pentagon has sent more than $3.7 billion worth of military goods from existing stockpiles to Ukraine since the February 24 invasion, from heavy artillery and tactical drones, to shoulder-fired Stingers and Javelins. But so far, the Pentagon has issued only one new contract, for Puma drones. A Pentagon official last week said the military was working to get others issued soon.
Apparently, no one in DoD, from SecDef Lloyd Austin—who used to be one of those general officers—on down, studies logistics.
I recall James Mattis, when asked what concerned him the most when he assumed the role of Sec Def, replied, “Running out of bullets.” Figurative, of course, but low stocks of fighting supplies is the worst time to need them. And Murphy always gets a vote.
And Murphy always gets a vote.
And the enemy is going to fire his votes, too, whether we want him to, or not.
Eric Hines