One of the most challenging aspects of conducting a successful military operation is the notion of flexibility and agile relocation of military equipment and armed sources regarding the objectives of the operation. Indeed, in many cases, during military operations, the initial location of forces can lose its relevance due to an unexpected turn of events or a sudden enemy reinforcement on one of the front lines. In order to combat this issue, military commanders often apply the strategy of redeployment, which stands for the reallocation of forces and equipment to another location or other joint forces (Alenezi, 2020). The strategy of redeployment is a highly efficient method of prompt response to an expected situation, but the overall process requires a strong collaboration between the military staff and an efficient logistics management model.
Essentially, the process of redeployment undergoes several processes that supervise the initial planning and execution of the operation. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2018), redeployment undergoes four major stages: preliminary planning, activities, moving, and the joint reception, staging, movement, and integration (JRSOI). Thus, when planning redeployment, the key is to be aware of all the operations currently taking place in order to ensure the prompt transportation and reception of the forces. For example, during the Iraq war, the 1st Infantry Division of the US Army faced a redeployment challenge when simultaneously with the process, the US military conducted a relief-in-place mission (Kindberg & Gallo, 2006). According to the researchers, the primary challenge was that the forces involved in the initial deployment of the infantry were no longer as available as they were at the beginning. As a result, redeployment efforts need to “reflect the reality” rather than expect the same number of resources available (Kindberg & Gallo, 2006, p. 30). The operation resulted in success due to the agile logistics framework and cooperation, so this example set the trend for future military logistics.
The notion of military logistics stands for the specifics of moving troops, equipment, and various supplies both to the battlefield and within the war zone. According to the researchers, the fundamentals of logistics rely on the essential cooperation between the military forces, civilians, and the government (Rutner et al., 2012). Thus, when it comes to such challenging tasks of redeploying forces from abroad to the initial location, military logistics becomes a highly complex task “where response times, demand uncertainty, a wide variety of material references, and cost-effectiveness are decisive for combat capability” (Acero et al., 2019, p. 1). The notorious Operation Iraqi Freedom launched in 2003 has demonstrated how a military system could transform rapidly under the influence of an immediate threat, and the challenges of logistics, including moving, supply chain, and redeployment, have laid the foundation for further strategies and tools. For example, when it comes to complex operations, McConnell et al. (2021) suggest “account for uncertainty and assess risk” with the help of using queening networks and path-based forecasting (p. 152). When applied to redeployment, these strategies can help define the most appropriate ways of planning and transformation.
Currently, the process of reverse logistics, which includes redeployment and disposal of equipment, is largely based on the theory of learning from the incident. This theory implies that new approaches to decision-making are developed through a careful reflection on previous failures and mistakes (Cantelmi et al., 2020). As a result, it can be concluded that the notion of redeployment and reverse military logistics as a whole is a complex process that relies heavily on the efficiency of communication and logistics supply quality. Once the logistics flexibility requirements are met, the future patterns of various complex procedures will yield more results for the army.
References
Acero, R., Torralba, M., PĂ©rez-Moya, R., & Pozo, J. A. (2019). Value stream analysis in military logistics: The improvement in the order processing procedure. Applied Sciences, 10(1), 1-17. Web.
Cantelmi, R., Di Gravio, G., & Patriarca, R. (2020). Learning from incidents: A supply chain management perspective in military environments. Sustainability, 12(14), 1-19. Web.
Kindberg, S. B., & Gallo, A. L. (2006). Innovation in redeployment: The 1st infantry division returns from Iraq. Army Logistician, 38(3), 30-34.
McConnell, B. M., Hodgson, T. J., Kay, M. G., King, R. E., Liu, Y., Parlier, G. H., Kristin, T.-B., & Wilson, J. R. (2021). Assessing uncertainty and risk in an expeditionary military logistics network. The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, 18(2), 135-156. Web.
Rutner, S.M., Aviles, M. and Cox, S. (2012). Logistics evolution: a comparison of military and commercial logistics thought. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 23(1), pp. 96-118. Web.