'Surely
one of the strangest things in military history is the almost
complete silence upon the problem of supply. Not in ten thousand
books written on war is there to be found one on this subject.
Yet it forms the basis on which rests the whole structure of war;
it is the very foundation of tactics and strategy.'
- Major General J F C Fuller
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability
is the ability of a force to maintain the necessary level of combat
power for the duration required to achieve its objectives. It
is concerned with the sustainment of a force during every stage
of a campaign or operation, from force generation through deployment
and operations in theatre, to recovery and recuperation afterwards.
It concerns the sustainment of personnel (in moral as well as
physical terms) the maintenance and repair of materiel, the provision
of combat supplies and expendable commodities, and the evacuation,
treatment and replacement of casualties. It is the function that
ensures, or denies, the capability of air power to operate. It
influences the tempo, duration and intensity of an operation.
In its broadest sense, it encompasses all activities necessary
for the employment of air power other than its execution.
The
components of sustainability have been identified as:
- Manpower
- Equipment
- Logistics:
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