ARLINGTON, Va. — The top leader at Army Materiel Command set the scene of a future battlefield and what the sustainment enterprise is doing to posture itself for success.
Lt. Gen. Christopher Mohan, deputy commanding general and acting commander of AMC, gave opening remarks at a January 15, 2025, hot topic session hosted by the Association of the United States Army, discussing “Connecting the Industrial Base to the Tactical Edge.”
“Imagine we are five years in the future, engaged in a large-scale combat operation overseas. A forward unit is preparing to conduct a deep strike, when suddenly one of its HIMARS has a critical failure,” said Mohan as he described the efforts military leaders are taking to prevent that future equipment failure from impacting the mission.
The key to keeping that HIMARS in the fight is bringing the industrial base to the tactical edge — providing Soldiers with options including telemaintenance, advanced manufacturing, unmanned aerial system delivery of repair parts or call-back support to an organic industrial base fly-away team at theater support command, even assistance from an allied partner, he said.
“This scenario illustrates how the integration of tele-maintenance, advanced 3D printing and autonomous logistics will absolutely transform sustainment operations in the coming years.”
Mohan started the day-long discussion that included panels on supply chain health, allies and partners integration, industrial base modernization and advanced manufacturing initiatives.
“The defense industrial base is not just an enabler for operational readiness, it is the engine of strategic innovation,” said Vic Ramdass, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, who also gave keynote remarks at the event.
Ramdass said that the Army should think about three things — the tyranny of distance, strategic logistics and the power of partnerships.
“The challenge is not new but has grown in light of recent conflicts such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Ramdass said. “You need to recalibrate your assumptions about mobilization, operational reach and protraction.”
Both leaders called on the more than 200 people in attendance to join in finding solutions, saying that the Army needed to work across the services, industry, academia and partners and allies to find solutions to making Mohan’s scenario a reality.
“We need to embrace not only that we can do this, but we must do this, recognizing that we cannot do it alone, we will need our partners,” he said. “We’ll be better for collaborating with one another and sharing our unique perspectives.”
Liz Miranda, executive deputy to the commanding general of AMC, said the Army can no longer do things the way it’s always been done.
“We need to find different ways, creative ways to get after the mechanisms that will help us execute that battlefield that LTG Mohan showed you,” she said. “So I’m asking you, what do we need to do to get after these? Your insight, your commitment are crucial as we continue to forge our way ahead in transforming sustainment.”
Miranda said that for 250 years the Army has been our nation’s fighting force but that also means for 250 years the Army has had the support of industry, academia and partners and allies, working alongside the service to accomplish the mission.
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