The "rear area" has officially vanished, and the global supply chains our military relies on are now primary targets. From domestic cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure to gray-zone economic coercion, modern adversaries are actively trying to disrupt the entire sustainment lifecycle to ensure American power projection never even reaches the fight. In this issue, the Irregular Warfare Center’s Contested Logistics & Sustainment network breaks down why we must urgently abandon brittle "just-in-time" supply models for decentralized, "just-enough" networks that can automatically self-heal under multi-domain pressure. Alongside this critical look at our logistics kill chains, IWC Director Dr. Dennis Walters challenges the joint force to reform how we measure strategic success, while our teams highlight global medical resiliency summits with the Mayo Clinic and international security training operations in Germany. Strategic competition is shifting rapidly right under our feet, are we truly prepared for the new realities of the homeland and global theater?
| Published: | May 27, 2026 |
The IWC prepares the warfighter to conduct irregular warfare across the spectrum of conflict by bridging instruction to operationalizing IW using next-generation techniques and concepts that enhance the lethality of the force and positions the United States and key Allies and partners to remain ahead of the threat.
The Spotlight is produced and published once a month by the Irregular Warfare Center Public Affairs Office.
