Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 Award winner, said he believes the U.S. defense and military logistics enterprise should adapt to meet the challenges posed by strategic competitors and recognize the need for a multidomain and multipronged approach that involves all service branches, partners and allies, the Air Force reported Tuesday.
“All of us involved in national security also need to develop a stronger sense of urgency, and we all must think carefully about the application of new and emerging technology to the operations we may be called upon to conduct in the not too distant future,” Kendall said at an event Monday.
He called on Congress to take actions to replace legacy systems that have become irrelevant when it comes to addressing current challenges and noted that he is willing to work with the legislative branch to find new ways to move forward.
Kendall also conducted a thought exercise for the audience by asking them to envision the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
“My point in leading you through this thought experiment is to emphasize two things: First, how different our current and future challenges to logistics are compared to what we are used to or have ever experienced. And second, how significant a threat we can expect to face from today onward,” he said.
