text: Sustainment Operations During Armed Conflict
  PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE DEFENSE
  5-149. Sustainment planning is both a continuous and
  a cyclical activity of the operations process. For Sustaining Defensive Operations
  sustainment planning, the most important factors are • Plan Class IV for transitions from offense to
  requirements, capabilities, and shortfalls. As outlined defense.
  in the paragraphs below, planning considerations • Expect increase in Class V.
  assist planners in identifying specific support or
  • Plan for pre-positioning of supplies.
  operational requirements based upon available
  • Plan retrograde support.
  information. Many planning considerations affect the
  • Increased demand for Class VII.
  ability to execute defensive operations. These
  • Mass casualties.
  considerations must be recognized, analyzed in the
  time available, and prioritized based on the • Large scale personnel replacements in a short
  commander’s intent. period.
  5-150. Planning considerations must encompass all
  warfighting functions to ensure the plan is integrated across all functions and domains. A planning
  consideration may have various levels of effects that drive support requirements across all warfighting
  functions. The following discussion describes considerations for each warfighting function during planning
  for sustaining large-scale defensive operations.
  SUSTAINMENT PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
  5-151. The planning considerations listed below for sustainment are examples of what sustainment planners
  may consider during defensive operations. This list should not be considered all-inclusive. Considerations
  will vary for individual operations. The list provides some common planning considerations for sustainment
  during all defensive operations. If a defense operation has a special consideration, it is indicated in the list:
  • Plan for execution of all sustainment functions and associated sub-functions at all echelons;
  personnel services, financial management, HSS, and logistics. This includes personnel replacement,
  casualty reporting, medical treatment, medical evacuation, medical logistics, hospitalization, and all
  logistics functions.
  • Shift maintenance and recovery capabilities in the FSC. Maneuver brigade commanders, staff, and
  SPO offices should weight the main defensive effort by cross-leveling sustainment/logistics assets
  within the brigade.
  • Prioritize main effort support for spoiling attacks, counter attacks, and follow-on offensive
  operations. Plan for all sustainment functions required to build combat power, personnel, supply,
  maintenance, and medical. Preposition supply Classes I, water, IIIB/P, IV, V, VIII, and IX centrally
  and well forward. Consider the use of combat-configured loads. Balance forward positioning of
  resupply and rapid mobility.
  • Plan for additional transportation assets, to include force protection, that may need to be echeloned
  forward to support the maneuver brigade main effort for resupply, troop movement, and casualty
  evacuation.
  • Ensure that proper handling and storage requirements are addressed for temperature-sensitive
  medical products when prepositioning Class VIII.
  • Expect high demand for Classes IV and V to support defense preparation efforts. Ensure adequate
  transportation assets are available to move the required tonnage.
  • Plan for heavy equipment transportation assets to support the retrograde defense operation. This
  transportation is required to move serviceable and unserviceable main battle tanks, infantry/cavalry
  fighting vehicles, Stryker systems, and other heavy equipment away from the enemy.
  • Plan for the appropriate type of water distribution. During large-scale combat, sustainment planners
  should expect to distribute only bulk water from the corps’ rear boundary forward to the forward
  line of own troops. Bottled water requires contracted support and, if used, should only be planned
  for the joint security area.
  • Expect competition between the need to support unit mobility and the need to conduct distribution
  operations. Plan for mobility and transportation support to units fighting over a dispersed area in a
  static area defense, and in a dynamic mobile or retrograde defense.