Their designs should be integral parts of the logistic processes they will support during the next 30 to 40 years. This is an opportune time to examine and design the logistic processes of the future. The Navy and Marine Corps should take the opportunity now, before starting the design of new logistic ships, to define and design future logistic processes, from the sources of materiel to its delivery in warfighter-ready condition to naval forces at sea, from the sea, and over the shore. Once the logistic processes are designed and the roles of logistic ships have been decided, the Navy should examine the desired characteristics of new logistic ships to see if they can be met by a common design, a modular design, or a design that is convertible to alternate roles. The Navy and Marine Corps should learn how to exploit the advantages of standard shipping containers in supporting naval forces at sea, from the sea, and over the shore.
Containers offer efficiency, control, and security in transporting and handling materiel.
With emerging technology for load planning, content tagging, and shipment tracking, containers can be transformed from dumps of randomly stowed materiel to virtual supply depots of immediately accessible materiel that is warfighter ready. The process should encompass the entire life cycle of a weapon system, from acquisition to disposal. References 1 . This estimate includes only supply, maintenance, and transportation activities.