This book was prepared at the Air Power Studies Centre as a Chief of the Air Staff Fellowship in 1995. The fellowship scheme commenced in 1990, and aims to develop awareness and foster understanding of air power in the Australian context. The aim of this fellowship was to contribute to the development of the philosophical basis for the provision of logistics support to air operations.
This study reviews how logistics constitutes part of the military capability of a nation and discusses its context, specifically in the air environment. The way logistics support is provided to military forces is being critically reviewed by nations around the world due to radical changes in strategic circumstances and limited financial resources. This study provides a manner of viewing logistics which emphasises its critical importance in the determination of the success or otherwise of military operations. In doing so it briefly reviews some recent overseas experiences in the provision of logistics support.
The guidance provided on air power logistics support requirements, in the form of doctrine, is critically reviewed and a revised doctrine is proposed. There are also recommendations made on the further development of logistics support concepts. A framework of logistics support concepts is proposed. This is intended to ensure that logistics support is organised as a single, coherent system that removes duplication and assists in the provision of a consistent, comprehensive and complementary flow of logistics support through each of the levels of war to enable the effective application of air power.