The complexities of large-scale combat operations will test the DoD's ability to manage materiel constraints and mitigate delivery chokepoints. What novel approaches to logistics will enable mobilization, surge, and sustainment of the Joint Force in large, contested areas of responsibility? How can the DoD develop advanced tools to simulate and develop courses of action for the seamless integration of global stocks, in-transit materiel, and procurement delivery schedules with "burn rate" models? What specific objectives, policies, data requirements, and capabilities must be developed to support future forces in this context? How can emerging technologies, concepts, or models be leveraged to overcome domestic and global challenges while enhancing overall operational readiness? Could the establishment of a Manufacturing Security Program, similar to the Tanker Security Program and Maritime Security Program, provide the DoD with a more robust defense industrial base capable of surging the production of critical items during a crisis, armed conflict, or national emergency? Lastly, how does medical support need to change to become more resilient in the face of a peer or near-peer threat?
- Allison, Capt. Roberta et al, "Integrated Wearable Technology in Rescue," SOS AUAR (JPRA section), 2025, 22 slides.
- Begeman, Lt. Col. Jeremy, "Redefining Routes: An Inside Look at the air Mobility Command Channel Mission," AF Global College thesis, 2024, 43 pgs.
- Bernaola, Maj. Marby M., "Beyond a Fellowship: Building a Foundation for PACU Nurses," AFGC thesis, 2025, 51 pgs.
- Bernaola’s research reveals a severe vulnerability in current medical readiness: zero Air Force Military Treatment Facilities currently meet all industry standards for PACU care, largely because these units are staffed by untrained medical-surgical nurses utilizing disjointed, on-the-job training. To become more resilient against a peer threat, she argues the Air Force must overhaul its training pipeline by establishing an evidence-based, in-person PACU fellowship that includes high-fidelity simulations, trauma scenarios, and hands-on clinical rotations. This standardized training will foster confident, critical-thinking nurses who can remain agile and provide high-quality, life-saving interventions in austere and warlike conditions.
- Berry, Anthony, "Maintaining Supportability: Aligning Production Machines for Better Material Control and Management," AFGC thesis, 2024, 36 pgs.
- Blackmun, Maj. Ross W., "Jack of All Trades: Expanding the mission of the Combat King II," AFGC thesis, 2025.
- Blackmun addresses this by evaluating how Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operations require immense, rapid tactical airlift capabilities that traditional command structures often struggle to provide within compressed threat timelines. Because the HC-130J is doctrinally categorized as a "designated" CSAR asset rather than a standard mobility air force asset, he points out that it operates outside of the Air Mobility Division's rigid prioritization and re-tasking cycle. To maximize readiness and sustainment, he recommends that unit commanders actively utilize the HC-130J's organic flexibility—combined with its ability to conduct Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) procedures and unimproved airfield landings—to rapidly maneuver forces, extend the range of other aircraft, and conduct highly responsive tactical airlift in contested areas.
- Buckles, LTC Lisa, "Evolution of Military Nurse Practitioners and Utilization in Deployment Operations," AWC papers, 2025, 39 pgs.
- Dufault, Lt. Col. Alexander F., "Employing ACE: Improving Military Acquisitions against Peer Adversaries," AFGC thesis, 2024, 42 pgs.
- Durrant, Maj. Gregory S., "Model-Based System Engineering in Logistics: Cutting the Strings of Logistics with Cutting-Edge Technology," AF Global College, 2025, 47 pgs.
- Fogarty, Maj. Trennart M. Barillas, "Tilted ACE: Optimizing Mission-Ready Airmen for CV-22," AFGC thesis, 2025.
- Fogarty addresses the monumental challenge of sustaining a maintenance-intensive platform like the CV-22 under contested logistics by proposing a shift toward data-driven logistics and extensive equipment commonality. He notes that standardizing hardware and software across platforms—such as utilizing the Silent Knight radar on the MC-130J, MH-47, and CV-22—reduces logistical strain and improves interoperability. Furthermore, to leverage emerging technologies for operational readiness, he recommends that the Air Force unify its currently segmented maintenance databases to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately predict part failures. This AI-driven approach would allow mission commanders to utilize decision matrices (similar to RAND's PLATO) to evaluate real-time resource consumption and proactively plan sortie generation and resupply needs well in advance.
- Forristal, Maj. Ryan M., "Red Light, Green Light: The Importance of Partners in a Contested Logistics Battle near the South China Sea," AFGC thesis, 2025, 40 pgs.
- Forristal answers this by arguing that traditional U.S. logistics methods will fail against China's robust Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the South China Sea. To overcome this, he advocates for utilizing Agile Combat Employment (ACE) as a scheme of maneuver to disperse forces, which reduces reliance on traditional, vulnerable supply chains. Because current War Reserve Materiel (WRM) policies are built on assumptions of briefly uncontested airspace and only account for short-duration operations of under 30 days, Forristal proposes that the USAF must reevaluate and expand its WRM stocks to support longer-duration conflicts. Furthermore, he suggests that establishing centralized global WRM managers and leveraging local sourcing agreements can help reduce the immense strain on the global transportation network.
- Foster, Maj. Samuel, "Rehabilitating Bureaucracy: Using Continuous Process Improvement to Tackle the Department of Defense's Most Elusive Problem," AFGC thesis, 2024, 44 pgs.
- Gracia, Maj. Jimmy S., "From WWII Relics to Modern Strongholds: Revamping Indo-Pacific Defense," AFGC 2025, 56 pgs.
- Gracia answers this by detailing how China's formidable A2/AD missile arsenal threatens traditional U.S. main operating bases and logistical supply lines. To counter this, he proposes leveraging the ACE strategy integrated with Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO) to disperse forces across multiple domains and complicate enemy targeting. Furthermore, Gracia argues that sustaining the Joint Force requires overhauling restrictive Military Construction (MILCON) funding processes—which are currently hampered by bureaucratic delays and fluctuating material tariffs—so the military can rapidly build hardened infrastructure, repair battle-damaged runways using specialized Damage Assessment and Repair Teams (DART), and maintain the physical resilience required to withstand both enemy strikes and severe weather.
- Hall, Capt. "BBP on Modernizing Paying Agent Capabilities," SOS AUAR 2024, 2 pgs.
- Haun, Capt. Zachary, "Enhancing Safety through Deliberate Practice," SOS AUAR, 2025, 7 pgs.
- Jenkins, Maj. Phillip R., "War, Wounds and Strategy: Patient Movement Lessons from the World Wars for Great Power Competition." SAASS thesis, 2025, 113 pgs.
- Asks what novel approaches will enable the sustainment of the Joint Force in contested areas, specifically questioning how medical support must change to become more resilient against peer threats. Jenkins answers this by asserting that medical patient movement systems built for uncontested, post-Cold War operations will likely fail during large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against a peer adversary. Because traditional air evacuation will be vulnerable and the "golden hour" of rapid treatment may no longer be feasible in denied environments, Jenkins argues that the U.S. military must heavily invest in multimodal transport capabilities—including autonomous platforms and medical evacuation drones—to securely move casualties. Furthermore, he states that true medical resilience requires modular organizational structures and flexible standard operating procedures (SOPs) that empower lower echelons to make decentralized, time-sensitive decisions when communication and traditional evacuation routes are severely disrupted.
- Johnson, CDR Jeptha T., "The End of the Golden Hour: Shifting Medical Evacuation Procedures for Distributed Maritime Operations," AF Global College, 2024, 64 pgs.
- Kroll, Maj. Steven J., "A Novel Solution to Power Generation on Austere Air Bases," AF Global College thesis, 2024, 54 pgs.
- McLaughlin, Lt. Col. Patrick B., "Mission Command and Contested Logistics: Navigating the Agility vs. Control Dilemma in Great Power Competition," AF Fellows paper (Fletcher School, Tufts), 2025, 95 pgs.
- McLean, Lt. Col. Vincent, "Sustainment under Fire: A Historical Study of Logistics Resilience in 20th Century Conflicts," SAASS thesis, 2025, 82 pgs.
- Smith, Lt. Col. Christopher, "Wounded in the First Island Chain: Medical Readiness and Strategic Implications for Taiwan," AWC paper, 2025, 14 pgs.
- Taylor, Capt. Isabel, "BBP on Telehealth Capabilities in the Deployed Environment," SOS AUA 2024, 3 pgs.
- Wiegold, Maj. Benjamin R., "CI2 Shortfalls and the Case for Reform," AFGC 2025.
- What novel approaches to logistics will enable mobilization, surge, and sustainment of the Joint Force in large, contested areas of responsibility? Weigold answers this by identifying a revitalized, LSS-driven CI² program as the critical approach to mitigating the USAF's severe depot-level delays and supply chain failures. He warns that the USAF’s current reactive maintenance philosophy and aging fleet create severe logistics chokepoints that threaten rapid force deployment and sustainment in near-peer conflicts. To overcome these constraints, Weigold recommends establishing cross-functional CI² teams consisting of logisticians, engineers, and supply chain managers to systematically eliminate waste and streamline workflows. By adopting LSS principles to overhaul depot logistics workflows and transitioning to data-driven, predictive maintenance models, the USAF can accelerate repair cycle times, clear maintenance backlogs, and ensure higher mission-capable rates to sustain the Joint Force in contested environments.