The Army is building a sustainment network that gives commanders options across a crucial and challenging region, a panel of experts said May 13 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu.

“We don’t do it alone,” said Maj. Gen. Gavin Gardner, commanding general, 8th Theater Sustainment Command. “It’s an entire network—it’s a network that creates the foundation that allows for operational maneuver and gives options to the commander. That’s what logistics is supposed to do. Our job is to be the unsung heroes that set options up for the commander so they can be decisive at the place of our choosing.”

Speaking during a panel titled “Sinews Across the Pacific,” Gardner and other leaders talked about the challenges of operating in the Indo-Pacific. From the vastness of the theater to the different and challenging types of terrain, the region poses unique challenges for sustainers, the panelists said.

“Every piece of equipment that we mis-ship or we inadvertently put in the wrong place creates a lot of additional friction that’s not going to be helpful,” said Lt. Gen. Jered Helwig, deputy commanding general, U.S. Transportation Command. “We’ve got to make sure that connection is well integrated, well-rehearsed, to ensure that when we do flow, it’s at the speed and scale desired,” he said.

Gardner agreed, adding that the Army is working to set the theater now through a multitude of ways.

One key element is prepositioning the right stocks and equipment forward, Gardner said.

“You only deter if you’re forward in this theater,” he said. “It’s got to be at the right place, you’ve got to know what’s there … and knowing how to get access to it rapidly.”

To combat the vast distances in the Indo-Pacific, the Army must have a logistics network that’s built upon a mesh system, Gardner said, so if one node fails, the system is agile enough to keep working.

Another challenge is reducing demand for energy, whether it’s power or fuel or water, he said. “We need to do some energy reduction, and that’s all forms of energy,” Gardner said. “We need to reduce some of the demand so we’re not always moving around liquid logistics—fuel and also water.”

Soldiers operating in the Indo-Pacific often deal with heat and humidity, which means they drink a lot of water, he said. “Moving water on the modern battlefield is a pain in the butt,” he said. “It’s one of the hardest things we do.”

Options to move water production forward and other ways to reduce demand are just some of the things the Army is looking at, he said.

The Army’s efforts all support the soldier, Helwig said. “We owe them the best logistics network, in position, ready to go, in the future,” he said. “It can’t be one that hasn’t been rehearsed, built and purpose-driven to support them. We owe [soldiers] the conditions for them to be successful.”