In their paper, the officers argue that the United States has to move from "containment" — the foreign policy established after World War II to limit the expansion and influence of the Soviet Union — to what they call "sustainment" or sustainability.
We talked about use of special forces – although I don't want to go into that here – we also talked about logistic support and sustainment, and of the rebuilding that will need to take place".
Accordingly, the U.S. and other donors are working with the Afghan government to clarify the long-term costs for sustainment … and how to best ensure that these costs will be met".
Or as Robert Springborg, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and an expert on the Egyptian military, put it this week, "Without that sustainment money, planes won't fly and tanks won't drive".
A storage site in Italy would be used for the MRAPs and other Army training, support and sustainment equipment.
Warehouses in three nations of the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia would store enough equipment for a heavy brigade, an infantry brigade, an infantry battalion — all with additional MRAPs — as well as for sustainment and support units.
"It was originally intended that Egypt would develop its own sustainment capability," Mr. Springborg said.
Lockheed also won additional contracts valued at up to $1.2 billion for spares and sustainment of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
The other six ships, which could be sailed to conflict zones as required, would carry equipment for an infantry brigade with MRAPs, and a sustainment brigade.
Warehouses in Japan and South Korea would store equipment for an entire heavy combat brigade whose troops might be flown to the region in an emergency, as well as for a support and sustainment brigade, to include MRAPs and field hospitals.
"Defence will now assess the ability of the participants to work closely with us, including how each proposal would meet our capability and sustainment needs and how cost, schedule and risk would be managed throughout the program," she said in a statement.
