ACHIEVING TRUE LOGISTICS
RESILIENCY WITHIN
THE UNITED STATES
The U.S. industrial base is unable to sustain its military in a
prolonged conflict due to declining manufacturing, foreign reliance,
and a fractured supply chain. Implementing a national strategy
to integrate military and civilian logistics, enhance data-driven
decisions, and establish leadership is crucial to ensure readiness
and resilience against security threats.
The Case for Action
The U.S. industrial base cannot manufacture the required parts and components
at the levels required to sustain the nation’s military fleet during a protracted
conflict against a near-peer competitor.
Decreases in key production capabilities, declines in manufacturing employment, and
slow output growth within several manufacturing sectors have created considerable
limitations that have negatively impacted the nation’s defense-related manufacturing
capabilities. Additionally, increases in the “offshoring” of manufacturing have resulted
in unprecedented reliance by the United States on single-source, sole-source, and
foreign resourcing options.
The lack of an industrial base that can consistently deliver the required defense-
related manufacturing items at the speed of need has forced the United States
to depend on obtaining sourcing options from potential adversaries like China. In
2022 alone, the United States imported over $500 billion in goods and services
from China. This included electronic equipment, plastics, organic chemicals,
iron, steel, and pharmaceutical products. Each of these items would be needed
to maintain the nation’s military fleet during global operations. Should a potential
conflict extend into the Indo-Pacific region, the nation’s access to critical parts
and components would be significantly diminished due to its heavy reliance on
manufacturing from within this region.
The past few years of high operational tempo have taken a toll on the nation’s
military fleet. The pace of operations and continual stress on the fleet has
significantly decreased the overall readiness of its aircraft, ships, armor, and radar
systems. This has been complicated by the lack of available parts and components
within the nation’s manufacturing base and the fractured global supply chain that
continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result,
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION: PRIORITY TOPIC MEMO
AUGUST 2024
“The longer a nation
requires to bring
its force to bear,
the more time its
enemies have to
seize whatever
objectives they
consider desirable.”
Thomas M. Kane,
Military Logistics and
Strategic Performance
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are
dedicated to solving problems for a
safer world. Through our public-private
partnerships and federally funded R&D
centers, we work across government and
in partnership with industry to tackle
challenges to the safety, stability, and
well-being of our nation.
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