As the Army looks toward sustaining forces during large-scale combat operations, it would be foolish to assume we can do so independently. Logisticians must understand how our sister Services conduct sustainment operations to integrate effectively in contested environments. A common theme across all Services is that logistics and maneuver will increasingly overlap, because contested logistics now begin in the U.S. at the assembly line and extend through the tactical edge.
This overlap demands a deliberate relationship between supported and supporting elements, built well before deployment. That relationship is forged at home station during training, exercises, and rotations, not once forces are already committed forward.
Setting the Context: AXLOC at Twentynine Palms
The Marine Corps Advanced Expeditionary Logistics Operations Course (AXLOC) is a rigorous four-week course conducted at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, located adjacent to the National Training Center. AXLOC is designed to train Marines at the staff level to serve as logistics instructors at their home stations. Graduates are expected to integrate into operational planning teams in support of training exercises, mission-essential task list assessments, and deployment preparations.
AXLOC provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the Marine Corps Planning Process (MCPP) at the brigade level, with emphasis on sustaining distributed littoral operations. The course begins with approximately 80 hours of distance learning focused on setting the theater, logistics concepts, support relationships, acquisition and cross-servicing agreements (ACSA), and MCPP fundamentals.
After completing the distance learning phase, approximately 50 students reported to Twentynine Palms for 25 days of resident instruction. I was fortunate to be part of the most joint AXLOC class to date under the Marine Corps Logistics Operations Group, which included one Navy officer, one Army officer, three Air Force officers, one Australian officer, one New Zealand officer, and one Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) civilian. The diversity of perspectives from joint logistics enterprise (JLEnt) partners significantly enriched the learning experience.
Course instruction included case studies, classroom instruction, small-group discussions, and secure video teleconferences with key JLEnt stakeholders. Briefings were provided by U.S. Transportation Command, Blount Island Command, DLA, and several organizations supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). These engagements provided the strategic context, the why, as students planned concepts for closing and sustaining naval expeditionary forces.
Intelligence Shapes Logistics Operations
AXLOC also integrates the Logistics Intelligence Planners Course (LIPC), bringing intelligence professionals into the learning environment alongside logisticians. The deliberate integration of these courses reinforces a critical reality: that logistics and intelligence must be synchronized to enable operational success.
Throughout the course, LIPC students challenged logisticians to consider how intelligence directly informs sustainment planning in complex and dynamic operating environments. They emphasized the importance of network analysis, linking intelligence about the operational environment to available logistics capabilities, infrastructure, and resources. For sustainers, this linkage is essential to understanding risk, enabling flexibility, and maintaining operational reach in contested theaters.
Why AXLOC Matters
The course is structured around four progressive phases: (1) set the theater, (2) plan a deployment, (3) logistics planning in a contested environment, and (4) a culminating staff exercise (STAFFEX). Each phase builds on the previous one, concluding with the execution of an operation using a course of action developed through MCPP earlier in the course.
During the culminating STAFFEX, the course directly reinforced how sustainment decisions enable lethality in contested environments. One scenario involved the delivery of contaminated fuel, deliberately compromised by the adversary. Through prior research and an understanding of where and how to source sustainment externally, we identified and procured an alternate fuel source from a neighboring country. This reinforced that we as logisticians must be prepared to source solutions when supplies cannot be produced organically or brought forward. It also highlighted that sustainment nodes, particularly in rear areas, are no longer sanctuaries. Upon entering the theater, displacement and survivability must be immediate considerations.
Another STAFFEX challenge involved severely degraded communications with both subordinate units and higher headquarters. Without real-time consumption reports from downtrace units, we were forced to make assumptions based on planning factors and push resupply packages while trusting that all elements were executing the commander’s intent. This underscored the importance of disciplined planning, shared understanding, and trust when communications are denied or disrupted.
The course also emphasized the value of decision support matrices in assisting commanders with understanding second- and third-order effects. As logisticians, we must translate sustainment realities into operational decisions, clearly articulating how those decisions affect tempo, risk, and lethality. In one scenario, increased threat levels prevented preplanned aerial resupply. Within minutes, we were required to develop an alternate delivery method to prevent disruption of maneuver operations. Because we had preplanned available assets within the area of operations, we were able to adapt quickly and execute resupply through alternate means. When logisticians demonstrate adaptability, maneuver elements gain confidence to seize the initiative and exploit opportunities.
Observing Marines conduct expeditionary basing and rapid displacement reinforced lessons applicable to the Army. Operating in contested environments requires moving away from persistent supply lines and predictable demand forecasting. AXLOC increased my effectiveness as a logistician by forcing me to operate in chaos and think like a warfighter. Being embedded with Marine planners required an understanding of the scheme of maneuver, reinforcing that logistics cannot simply follow maneuver but must coexist with it. Timing, positioning, and survivability of prepositioned cache sites proved critical; when maneuver forces failed to reach caches in time, days’ worth of supplies were lost, resulting in degraded combat power. These lessons directly reinforced how sustainment can either enable or limit lethality on the battlefield.
Through planning and wargaming, reliance on the JLEnt was not optional; it was decisive. Students leverage DLA, ACSA, operational contract support, and support from sister Services to overcome shortfalls in resources, time, and access. In every scenario, success depended on joint and interagency integration. This reality applies equally across all Services, so that no single Service or agency can win or sustain a conflict alone.
As a force, we must fully leverage the JLEnt. In many regions, access to certain classes of supply may be limited or nonexistent; movement into theater may be restricted to specific modes; and host-nation support may be uncertain or unavailable. Additionally, the adversary always has a vote. Sustainment plans must incorporate flexibility, dispersion, and redundancy to mitigate disruption and preserve freedom of action. Forces must remain dispersed enough to reduce vulnerability while remaining postured to rapidly support operations when required.
An Army Officer in a Marine Corps Classroom
Attending Marine Corps professional military education as an Army officer presented unique challenges, challenges that closely mirror those encountered in joint and interagency environments. Sustainment is inherently joint, and AXLOC reinforced the necessity of interoperability and shared understanding across Services and agencies.
The course reinforced the need for logisticians to remain adaptable as sustainment concepts continue to evolve. Fortunately, the Army and Marine Corps share foundational sustainment principles, including push-and-pull logistics, distribution methods, and acquisition of supplies and services. These commonalities provide a strong baseline for joint integration while highlighting the importance of understanding Service-specific processes.
Conclusion: The Way Forward
AXLOC reinforced the growing requirement for joint logistics leaders at both the tactical and operational levels. For those preparing for joint task force assignments or joint billets, AXLOC, when paired with the Joint Logistics Course, provides critical foundational knowledge. The course is also highly applicable to units such as expeditionary transportation brigades, theater sustainment commands, expeditionary sustainment commands, and sustainment brigades operating in USINDOPACOM, where littoral operations are increasingly likely.
Our Services must be prepared to embrace joint solutions. Logisticians will not always be able to set the theater as planned, and sustainment requirements will continue to evolve throughout operations. Logistics does not end with planning; it persists through execution. Leaders at every level, including those in the middle, can influence outcomes by bringing forward ideas, initiatives, and informed recommendations. Joint success depends on it.
--------------------
CPT Joelle L. Henry serves as the detachment commander of the 510th Transportation Training Detachment at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. She received a commission as a Transportation officer through ROTC in 2019. Her first assignment was to the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. While there, she served in a variety of leadership positions in the 553rd Division Sustainment Support Battalion including the 664th Ordnance Company platoon leader and executive officer, Bravo Company (Support Maintenance Company) executive officer, and as the battalion S-4 officer in charge. Her military education includes the Transportation Basic Officer Leader Course, Unit Movement Officer Course, Air load Planner Course, Transportation Coordinators–Automated Information for Movements System II Operator Course, Logistics Captains Career Course, and the Advanced Expeditionary Logistics Operations Course. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington.
--------------------
This article was published in the summer 2026 edition of Army Sustainment Professional Bulletin.
RELATED LINKS
Army Sustainment on Line of Departure
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Sharing