28 Essay Competitions / Giving Our “Paper Tiger” Real Teeth JFQ 115, 4
th
Quarter 2024
Giving Our “Paper Tiger” Real
Teeth
Fixing the U.S. Military’s Plans for
Contested Logistics Against China
By Zachary S. Hughes
T
here is growing concern that the
U.S. military is unable to deter or
win a conflict with China in the
Western Pacific. China’s sophisticated
arsenal of long-range missiles is a lethal
threat to America’s traditional way of
deploying and employing expeditionary
forces. With a rising sense of urgency,
three U.S. military Services (Marines,
Army, and Air Force) have embraced
new concepts of operations that favor
dispersed operations. On the surface,
these ideas appear to restore survivabil-
ity within the Pacific’s first island chain
Lieutenant Colonel Zachary S. Hughes,
USAF, wrote this essay while a student at
the National War College. It won the 2024
Secretary of Defense National Security Essay
Competition.
Marines with 2
nd
Distribution Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2
nd
Marine Logistics Group, conduct tactical vehicle onload at
United Arab Emirates port after exercise Native Fury 24, May 28, 2024 (U.S. Marine Corps/Meshaq Hylton)
