Theaterised Joint Logistics: A Caliberated Initiation

Military logistics is an all encompassing field comprising of facets from design to disposal stage. This coupled with requirement to frequently switch over to newer technologies, with high rate of obsolescence and with functional requirements of high reliability demands tailor made logistics system with appropriate organisational structure and procedures. Since military logistics will always be functioning in a dynamic situation there is need to have an organizational setup which lends itself to such eventuality. Appropriate organization structure is arguably a prerequisite for effective military logistics.

Militaries world over have resisted changes which is evident from the fact that even in advanced militaries like USA and UK changes could be brought about only by political will and were backed by necessary legislation. The most successful and efficient methodology being adopted by modern militaries is a logistics system based on theatre or theaterised logistics. In our case, there has hardly been any serious attempt to modify the logistics system which we inherited from the British. In absence of a strong political will it may not be possible to overhaul our military logistics in totality however some changes are possible at services HQ /MoD level which can become a precursor to futuristic changes. This will bring about more transparency and provide value for money. Thus the monograph presents short term approach and a medium approach to bring in desired changes in our military logistics system after evaluating the need of the hour.

About the Author

Col Virander Kumar Saini has been working with the Logistics Department of the Indian Army for the last 26 years. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy Khadakwasla and the Defence Services Staff College Wellington. He holds MSc degrees in Food Technology and Defence and Strategic Studies from the universities of Mysore and Madras respectively. He has served with the UN Mission in Lebanon from November 1999 to November 2000. He was Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) from June 2011 to June 2012.

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