Joint Forces Staff College

Our Logistics Failure-the Military's Overreliance Upon Sustainment Contracting (Defense) Joint Forces Staff College

Since the mid 1990s, the United States military has allowed contractors to become ingrained in the sustainment fabric of our military. From realistic beginnings of building ?hard-stand? shelter for Soldiers and Marines on the ground in the Balkans, the Department of Defense has allowed contracting to become the ?default option? when it comes to supporting U. S. forces in combat. In spite of the fact that?per capita?there are more logisticians now in the United States military than any period in history, the contractors supporting sustainment of our forces in combat are also more numerous than any time in history, approaching a 1 to 1 ratio as compared to the military population they support. Sustainment contracting is a multi-billion dollar industry and accounts for the largest share of the Defense-related contracted business. Not only is this practice of ?excessive contracting? fiscally irresponsible, but also detrimental to the development of the military?s future logisticians as well as the units they will one day command.