[Insight & Opinion] The Ukraine War and the Importance of the Army's Logistical Support System

Russia's 'strategic miscalculation' and 'military mistakes' demonstrated during its invasion of Ukraine seem to have only exposed Russia's military vulnerabilities to the world. Similar to the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war, the strategic misjudgment that the Ukraine invasion could be concluded as a short-term conflict, along with military errors such as inadequate logistical support in ammunition and fuel during combat operations, caused commanders entering Ukraine to be confused and wait for logistical support and operational directives from headquarters.

While the strategic miscalculation might be understandable, the logistical support system failures shown by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine are difficult to comprehend. There was no concrete logistical support plan, and the capability for sustained logistical support relative to requirements was insufficient. Through these issues, if our military, especially the Army, fails to properly establish an independent logistical unit structure and logistical support system during wartime and peacetime, we could face problems similar to those currently experienced by Russia.

Under the Moon Jae-in administration's 'Defense Reform 2.0,' not only combat units but also logistical units of the Army were reorganized. However, a system that ensures the appropriate composition of logistical units by echelon to guarantee combat units' operational mission execution and that can provide timely, adequate, and appropriate logistical support on the battlefield has yet to be properly established. The reduction of logistical personnel during peacetime and the reform that shifted logistical unit personnel composition mainly to civilian employees do not show significant issues during peacetime. However, vulnerabilities are likely to be exposed during wartime.

To improve these vulnerabilities, several logistical support-related measures are necessary. First, like the U.S. Army, logistical units should be permanently assigned under brigade combat teams organized as basic tactical units capable of independent operations. The U.S. Army has built such a system based on extensive combat experience. Our Army also needs to permanently assign logistical units by function?such as supply, maintenance, transportation, ammunition, and food/fuel units?under basic tactical units. Additionally, the mobility of logistical units should be promoted to enable self-defense capabilities and rapid operations.

There is a saying that operations bring victory in battle, and logistics bring victory in war. However, in reality, the popularity of the logistics branch in our Army is not as high compared to operations or personnel branches. Although the logistical unit structure was reorganized through 'Defense Reform 2.0,' securing and managing logistical personnel accordingly remains insufficient. Professional logistical personnel (especially technical non-commissioned officers) require a significantly longer training period compared to general combat soldiers. In particular, there are not many professional logistical personnel capable of maintaining advanced combat equipment such as tanks, helicopters, and information and communication devices. Therefore, measures to continuously and systematically secure professional logistical personnel from peacetime are necessary.

Furthermore, detailed measures to utilize civilian personnel and resources to strengthen the Army's logistical sustainment capabilities during wartime and peacetime are urgently needed. It is especially important to properly recognize that future warfare is expected to occur across multiple domains, including land (especially urban areas), sea, air, cyber, and space. To this end, it is necessary to explore ways to maximize the use of civilian personnel and assets to improve the quality of logistical support.

Ultimately, through this Ukraine war, the Ministry of National Defense and military leadership must accurately recognize the importance of the logistical support system as a decisive factor determining the outcome of war and devote significant policy efforts to its development.

Kim Jong-ha, Dean of the Graduate School of Management and Defense Strategy, Hannam University

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.