Introduction 

As Joint Force planning continues to evolve, logistics has become a critical stepping stone to military strategy rather than the historical “hand-waved” afterthought. Once seen as just a background function, it’s now a major and decisive factor in global conflict and competition. This shift is clearly displayed in the most recent iterations of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s (CJCS) annual Globally Integrated Wargame (GIWG), where contested logistics are a key focus. Supporting this priority is the Joint Concept for Contested Logistics (JCCL), which lays the groundwork for dealing with the logistics challenges of the 21st century. 

A History of Overlooking Logistics 

For many years, logistics was undervalued in military wargames. Planners often assumed things like supplies or communication lines would always be available, not taking into account things like conflicting global requirements or sheer logistic capacity. This made it easier to focus on tactics and strategy, but it left a blind spot in understanding real wartime demands. During the Cold War, and even after 9/11, logistics rarely took center stage in exercises. Most wargames focused on direct combat, intelligence, or politics, without testing how logistics would hold up under pressure. As a result, military leaders sometimes faced real-world situations without grasping how vulnerable global supply chains and transportation assets could be. 

Warfare Is Changing 

Today’s battlefield is defined by great power rivalries, cyber threats, and precision weapons. In this high-stakes environment, logistics isn’t just a support system, it’s part of the fight. Countries like China and Russia are developing tools specifically to disrupt U.S. supply lines. Their strategies include anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) systems, cyberattacks, and space-based interference, all aimed at blocking the U.S. from power projecting force abroad. The Department of Defense has taken notice. The 2022 National Defense Strategy calls for new tactics and tools to counter these threats, treating logistics not as an afterthought but as a contested battleground that could determine the outcome of future wars. 

GIWG: Making Logistics a Central Focus 

The CJCS’s Globally Integrated Wargame (GIWG) is leading this shift. This annual exercise now includes realistic scenarios that reflect modern warfare. Players must deal with blocked supply routes, limited transportation, damaged infrastructure, and information disruptions. GIWG brings together participants from across the military and government, simulating the kind of high-speed decision-making needed in real conflict. Logistics is no longer a “free pass” in these games. Instead, players must face tough choices about how to keep forces supplied and moving under fire. 

Advancing Globally Integrated Logistics Effort (AGILE) 

Building a culture of logistics wargaming and supporting GIWG is a series of logistics-focused wargames called AGILE, run by the Joint Staff J4. AGILE provides a consistent platform to test logistics plans under pressure. These games validate key concepts, improve coordination across whole of government domains and support new ideas about how to sustain operations in contested environments. AGILE plays a vital role in making logistics a standard part of strategic planning, allowing experimentation with command structures, distribution models and backup systems across the services. 

The Blueprint: Joint Concept for Contested Logistics (JCCL)  

The JCCL serves as the strategic framework for embedding logistics into wargaming and force design. It highlights critical logistic capability gaps and outlines the conceptual required capabilities to address them. It provides actionable planning insights for wargame designers, emphasizing the need to stress-test logistics systems under adversarial conditions, treat sustainment nodes as potential targets requiring defense, explore the importance of logistics command and control and balance operational reach with survivability and redundancy. By applying JCCL principles in GIWG, AGILE – and other exercises – the military is ensuring that logistics becomes an integrated part of operational planning –not just something to worry about later. 

Conclusion 

Logistics has moved from the shadows into the spotlight of military thinking. With the help of high-level wargames such as GIWG, AGILE and applying concepts in the JCCL – logistics is now viewed as critical to the success or failure of future operations. As threats grow more complex and supply lines more vulnerable, realistic wargames must continue to break old assumptions and prepare the military for what lies ahead. 

*AI technology was used to refine points made in some portions of this article