U.S. Tackles a Military Vulnerability in the Pacific: Supply Lines

MOUNT BUNDEY TRAINING AREA, Australia—In the remote Australian Outback, U.S. Marines carried supplies off two tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft that had just touched down. Soon after, they hauled giant fuel bladders into position and began connecting hoses and nozzles in the blazing sun.

Their aim in the training exercise: Quickly set up what is essentially a portable gas station close to the front lines so that aircraft can refuel and rearm without returning to larger bases in the rear...

The U.S. military, including the Marines, is shifting its strategy and expanding its footprint in the Pacific to deter Beijing from launching military action to take over Taiwan—and to prepare to fight if needed.

...

“Operating in a highly distributed fashion increases the logistics burden,” said Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security. “If the forces are trying to move often to make it harder for the Chinese to target them, the supplies needed at a location could vary considerably based on potentially unpredictable movements that change in response to Chinese attacks.”

Read the full story and more from The Wall Street Journal.