PRODUCT SUPPORT
economics, recognizes that differ - ent entities, in this case nations, can bring unique strengths to a shared enterprise. Rather than each nation attempting to replicate every sustain - ment function on its own, compara - tive advantage fosters an environ - ment where allies and partners can bring their strengths to the fight in a complementary fashion. Applied to sustainment, compara - tive advantage creates opportuni - ties for burden sharing. An ally with world-class shipyard facilities can readily provide support as a regional hub for repair. A partner nation with expansive storage infrastructure can provide access to forward warehous - ing for munitions or spare parts. An - other ally may offer advanced tech - nical expertise that enables repair or overhaul of specialized components. By linking these strengths together under the RSF, the department and its partners can build networks that are more resilient, more affordable, closer to the point of need, and there - fore more responsive to the War- fighter. This approach also helps over - come perceptions that sustainment is a zero-sum endeavor. When com - parative advantage is applied, every participant gains from the arrange - ment. The United States benefits from access to forward locations and specialized expertise, while allies and partners gain greater integration with U.S. logistics, increased investment in their industrial bases, and enhanced resilience in their own defense sus - tainment systems. RSF seeks to syn - chronize these comparative advan - tages to ensure that the United States as well as its allies and partners have an absolute advantage in times of competition, crisis, or conflict. Going back to the Pathway Proj - ects and the bilateral and multilat - eral efforts, we can see that burden sharing through comparative advan - tage is already taking shape. Shared warehousing arrangements in select regions are reducing duplication and
creating efficiencies. Joint MRO ini - tiatives are shortening timelines for returning equipment to the fight, for - ward storage efforts are ensuring the materiel is postured ahead of need, and this is just the beginning! Collab - orative planning forums are identify - ing areas where one partner’s excess capacity can relieve pressure on an - other. These examples show that the comparative advantage of RSF and co-sustainment is more than the - ory—it is delivering tangible results to the Warfighter. While strategy provides the frame - work for co-sustainment, its success depends on the people who see and respond to the sustainment chal - lenges every day. Product Support Managers (PSMs) and sustainment professionals in the field serve as the sensors of the enterprise. They know where the true bottlenecks are and can highlight constraints. They are the ones to perhaps best recognize opportunities for co-sustainment. Too often, sustainment is viewed as a headquarters-driven and op - timized initiative. That said, sus - tainment is most effective when informed by those closest to the mis - sion. PSMs bring an understanding of supply chain function at the unit level, where availability is measured not in abstract readiness reports but by the ability of a squadron or bat - talion to execute its mission. Their feedback helps shape sustainment strategies that are realistic, targeted, and responsive to actual operational demands. PSMs will increasingly col - laborate with acquisition leaders trained under initiatives such as the Warfighting Acquisition University, ensuring that sustainment strate - gies keep pace with the operational demands and align with the depart - ment’s broader transformation goals. RSF also contributes directly to requirements reform by capturing sustainment needs at the grassroots RSF and Co-Sustainment Begin at the Grassroots
PSMs and sustainment professionals identify bottlenecks and gaps in real time, ensuring that requirements are not abstract or delayed but grounded in operational reality.
level and feeding them back into ac - quisition planning. PSMs and sustain - ment professionals identify bottle - necks and gaps in real time, ensuring that requirements are not abstract or delayed but grounded in operational reality. This feedback loop shortens the path from need to solution, align - ing with the Acquisition Transforma - tion Strategy’s call for streamlined, responsive requirements processes that deliver capability at the speed of relevance Field expertise is particularly im - portant in contested logistics envi - ronments, where small disruptions can quickly cascade into larger prob - lems. A delay in the delivery of a criti - cal part, a lack of forward storage, or an unexpected repair requirement can affect not only one platform but an entire operation. PSMs are often the first to recognize these risks, and their insight is essential for build - ing solutions that anticipate and prevent breakdowns. Going forward, we need your help in identifying what is next for co- sustainment. By elevating the role of PSMs and integrating their observa - tions into co-sustainment Pathway
18 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | JANUARY FEBRUARY 2026 –
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