A U.S. Navy sailor fires a shot line during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, July 8, 2026. (Alexander Bussman/U.S. Navy)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Quarderer, a former U.S. naval attache to Australia, is director of International Science and Technology at Leidos.
Recently, my oldest son flew his first operational missions as a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, conducting logistical flights between Japan, Guam, Wake Island and Hawaii. His impressions mirrored my own from more than 30 years ago as a carrier-based U.S. naval aviator: the Pacific is vast, demanding and unforgiving.
Spanning immense distances, critical sea lanes, and a wide network of allies and partners, the theater is also defined by diverse terrain and environmental volatility. None of these challenges are trivial. On distance alone, U.S. Pacific Command covers more than 100 million square miles -- nearly seven times the surface area of the moon. Combine that with contested access and severe weather capable of disrupting transportation, communications and infrastructure, and the obstacles are clear. The traditional view of logistics as a rear-area support function is no longer sufficient.
While Pacific geography has remained constant since World War II, the strategic environment has shifted significantly. The region is increasingly contested, with freedom of movement and even sovereignty challenged. Access to key maritime and air routes can no longer be assumed. New domains, including seabed warfare, place critical undersea infrastructure, particularly communications cables, at risk. Effective logistics in this environment demands integration across joint forces, allies, partners and industry. No single organization can operate independently at the scale required.
The challenges manifest daily across the theater. Guam’s location sits under potential threat rings, forces clear heavy snow from Misawa runways, recover combat capability after typhoons on Okinawa, sustain airpower from Kunsan to Iwakuni, and maintain connectivity for units in remote Australian locations. Distributed elements, including special operations forces at Torii Station, depend on consistent sustainment under constrained conditions. Although rarely in world headlines, these activities underpin readiness and the generation of combat power.
Recent exercises reinforce a fundamental shift in military operations and logistics thinking: future conflicts are unlikely to rely on a small number of large, secure bases. U.S. and allied forces will instead operate from dispersed locations to complicate adversary targeting and enhance survivability.
While operationally advantageous, this approach creates complex sustainment challenges. Commanders must support distributed forces using a mix of military, allied and commercial networks that often lack seamless integration or shared visibility.
Meeting this challenge requires a resilient, adaptive logistics network capable of operating in contested and degraded environments. Supplies must move efficiently across vast distances to austere locations, often under threat. Commanders need resource visibility to know what exists, where it is, and how quickly it can be delivered. Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, offer potential for predictive logistics and improved decision-making. At the same time, logistics networks themselves are likely targets, increasing the premium on redundancy, flexibility and speed. The task is no longer simply moving supplies but sustaining combat power amid disruption and competition.
In a theater of this scale, no route, node or system can become a single point of failure. Addressing this reality requires having back-up options, deeper integration with allies, and new approaches to sustainment. Autonomous systems, predictive analytics and resilient communications can extend reach and reduce risk, but only if integrated into a coherent logistics architecture designed to absorb shocks and adapt under pressure.
The proliferation of long-range precision systems and unmanned platforms in the Pacific poses further challenges to logistics and operational outcomes. Sustaining forces under these conditions requires continued investment in modern capabilities, improved interoperability, and greater visibility across supply networks. Collective effort remains essential; no nation can meet these demands alone.
Ultimately, deterrence in the Pacific is measured not only by the forces that can be deployed, but by those that can be sustained. In a theater defined by distance, weather and dispersion, logistics has to be strategic. The approach to logistics must be as adaptive as the missions it supports. A credible “fight tonight” posture depends on the ability to respond to uncertainty and generate, project and sustain combat power at scale across the vast expanse of the Pacific.
