Revista Sextante

Risk Assessment and Operational Continuity in Military Logistics and Defense Supply Networks

Kofi A. Mensah-Boateng

Department of Defence Logistics and Resilience Studies, Gold Coast Institute for Strategic Logistics, Accra, Ghana

Keywords: military logistics, risk assessment, operational continuity, supply network resilience, contested logistics

Abstract

Military operations depend on supply networks that move fuel, munitions, spare parts, food, medical supplies, and equipment from industrial sources to forces in the field and at sea. Disruption of these networks can undermine operational capability more quickly than the loss of combat power. This article examines risk assessment and operational continuity in military logistics and defence supply networks. It describes the logic of continuity in defence supply, classifies sources of logistic risk, and reviews frameworks and methods for assessing risk, including criticality, dependency, and vulnerability analysis. It then considers continuity planning, resilience strategies based on redundancy, flexibility, and agility, and the special problems of contested logistics in which an adversary deliberately targets supply. The article also discusses governance, metrics, and organisational learning. Drawing on research in supply chain risk management, resilience, and continuity management, the analysis finds that effective continuity depends on understanding dependencies across the whole network, assessing risk in operational rather than purely financial terms, and preparing adaptive responses in advance. It concludes with recommendations for defence organisations seeking to protect the continuity of operations against a wide spectrum of disruption.