Army brigade in Europe revamps logistics for drone-era warfare

STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. Army’s only sustainment brigade in Europe is rethinking how it will keep troops supplied in a future conflict, replacing vulnerable logistics hubs with small mobile teams designed to survive drone-heavy battlefields.

The Baumholder-based 16th Sustainment Brigade says the battlefield evolution seen in the Russia-Ukraine war has exposed shortcomings in how Army logisticians prepare to operate under fire.

“Junior officers and mid-grade NCOs often lack the experience and confidence to execute decentralized sustainment operations under threat,” brigade commander Col. Christopher Richardson said in an Army statement published Wednesday. 

The situation is forcing a shift toward specially tailored multifunctional teams that can move, adapt and sustain forces while under constant threat, he said.

The changes reflect the Army’s growing recognition that traditional rear-area logistics sites, once considered relatively secure, could become prime targets in a future conflict with Russia.

In Ukraine, drones and longer-range precision fires are used to hit supply operations far behind the front lines. In recent months, Ukraine has used its vast arsenal of drones to step up attacks on Russian supply lines, helping fuel recent battlefield gains.

Instead of relying on large logistics hubs, the 16th Sustainment Brigade has developed multipurpose task forces that can disperse across the battlefield and continue operating even if individual elements come under attack.

“This flexibility mirrors operational realities observed in the Russia-Ukraine War,” Richardson said.

The concept has been tested and validated during repeated rotations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, the Army’s combat training facility in Hohenfels, Germany, he added.

To build muscle memory, the brigade has introduced a recurring certification program for junior leaders and expanded training that simulates logistics under drone and missile attack.

The brigade also is experimenting with artificial intelligence to improve transportation planning and identify potential supply problems before they affect operations, the unit said.

“By adopting these practices, the 16th Sustainment Brigade has created a force that is not only agile and survivable but also capable of enabling decentralized maneuver across multiple echelons,” Richardson said.

The training of Ukrainian soldiers at sites like Hohenfels and elsewhere has also provided opportunities for knowledge transfer as U.S. service members adjust to a broad adaptation across the military to new ways of warfare.