Reprinted with permission from The Exceptional Release, Spring 99, No. 73, p. 14.

The key to deploying, employing and sustaining our Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF) is developing a core of logistics officers trained under an agile logistics employment school, similar to the USAF Weapons School (USAFWS) at Nellis AFB, Nev. These officers could then answer many of the challenges outlined in Maj Gen Michael Zettler’s article, Agile Logistics, published in the Fall 98 issue of The Exceptional Release. In his article, Major General Zettler states, Lean Logistics and the Agile Logistician are key to the EAFs success. Additionally, he believes, the EAF is the logisticians challenge.

We believe one of the ways to meet this challenge is through the creation of an agile logistician school and the creation of the agile logistics officer who would be able to work all related logistics issues in order to successfully employ logistics in support of the EAF.

Today, the accepted career path for logistics officers allows them to focus on their AFSC while serving as a company grade officer. Focused, early experience allows officers to become knowledgeable in their specific logistics career before they are considered for a crossflow assignment. Once a crossflow tour is complete, the officer usually returns to their primary AFSC.

This career guidance directly supports current logistics officer progression and reflects the track many logistics officers will follow in the near future. What this track does not support, however, is the junior officers responsibility to support an enormous amount of logistics responsibilities while deployed in a base operating support role as part of an EAF. An officer with experience and training in only one or two AFSCs is not ideally prepared. The officer trained as an agile logistician will be better prepared to take on the unique challenges of supporting EAFs in dynamic and austere environments.

Many young officers have recently gained valuable experience while deployed in support of EAF operations on the European Continent, in Southwest Asia and in Africa. This experience must be drawn upon to develop a school and lesson plans to prepare a select number of logisticians to become agile logisticians.

Agile logistician training is not necessary for all logistics officers. It is unrealistic to assume we all need the training, because not all will be called to support deployed EAF operations. The concept is to select officers with crossflow experience to attend the agile logistician school. Then they can be identified as ideal EAF support candidates and earmarked to support EAFs on alert status.

Agile logisticians could be identified with a separate prefix, identifying him or her as a specially qualified logistics employment expert. This would expedite the personnel community's ability to fill the logistics officer support position once a tasking is developed. Training for the agile logistician should encompass both academic and hands-on training in areas from all logistics specialties: transportation, supply, aircraft maintenance support, logistics plans, contracting, and supply.

The agile logistician school, focusing on the logistics support employment role, would fit well alongside the USAFWS at Nellis AFB, much like the relationship between the Contingency Wartime Planners Course (CWPC) and the Joint Doctrine Air Campaigners Course (JDACC) at Maxwell AFB, Ala.

Course curriculum development must begin with a definition of the agile logistician and a clear outline of the core competencies. As stated earlier, although there are superb courses offered covering many disciplines throughout the Air Force, there is no centralized training focusing specifically on the competencies required to support EAF. The agile logistician school will not only teach these concepts, but also actively test and develop them.

Transforming the agile logistician from concept to reality will require intensive training in well-defined core competencies. Agile logisticians will be the linchpins in EAF austere base support operations. Senior company grade and junior field grade officers will be assigned duties requiring a span of knowledge and training that is unprecedented.

Although there are technical training schools that provide excellent training, with the EAF will emerge the requirement for a centralized, comprehensive training course that outlines cross-disciplinary responsibilities, focusing on logistics employment in an austere deployed environment. The agile logistician must be an expert on the total deployed agile logistics environment. They must be professional officers who demonstrate the highest standards of officership and diplomacy.

Just as an operator who is a USAFWS patch wearer has proven he or she has developed the skills necessary to fulfill the USAFWS goal of ensuring graduates are experts on weapons, weapons systems, weapons system integration, and employment tactics… the agile logistician must be held to the same high standards and receive an education commensurate with that of the lead operators he or she is deployed with and supporting.

Expansion of the USAFWS at Nellis AFB to include an agile logistician division would provide the optimum training environment, as well as a concentrated pool of expertise in deployment/employment operations development. The weapons school presently trains nonfighter type aircrews as well as members involved in space operations with great success. The agile logistician division would be no different. Additionally, the ongoing missions at Nellis (Red Flag, Air Warrior) may present an especially beneficial environment for the logistician-in-training.

The Agile logistician will direct the Expeditionary Aerospace Force of the future. Cross-disciplinary expertise is the key in ensuring these individuals can effectively employ resources to support an aggressive flying operation with minimum support. The time-proven exemplary training, research and development expertise offered by the USAF Weapons school will solidify the Agile Logistician concept and enable leaders in the logistics field to train like they fight, shoulder to shoulder with highly trained operators who wear the patch.

The authors are stationed at Luke AFB, Ariz. Major Stinson commands the 56th Logistics Support Squadron (56LSS). Captain Blair commands the 56th Logistics Training Flight, 56LSS. Captain Dubovik commands the 372nd Training Squadron, Detachment 12.

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.

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