Logistics in multi-domain operations

Abstract

Multi-domain operations significantly transform the conditions under which military logistics are planned, organized, and executed. The simultaneous integration of land, maritime, air, space, and electromagnetic-cyber-cognitive domains increases the systemic complexity of sustainment, expands the geographical scope of support, and exposes infrastructure, flows, and supply chains to increasingly contested and degraded environments. This article analyzes the impacts of this new operational paradigm on military logistics, highlighting three main drivers: the intensification of systemic complexity, environmental degradation and the geographical expansion of support, and technological transformation associated with Logistics 4.0. It discusses the evolution from predominantly linear and centralized structures toward distributed, resilient, adaptive, and integrated sustainment networks supported by digital technologies, artificial intelligence, predictive logistics, autonomous systems, and enhanced situational awareness. The article also examines the implications of hybrid threats for supply chains and the growing importance of logistics resilience as an element of sovereignty and strategic resistance. Finally, it addresses the new competencies required of logistics professionals, with emphasis on systems thinking, adaptability, digital literacy, and critical judgment. It concludes that logistics superiority in multi-domain operations will increasingly depend on the ability to integrate resources, information, organizations, and technologies into architectures capable of learning, adapting, and sustaining continuous support under conditions of high uncertainty.