The Logistics Lens

Retired Marine Lieutenant General Mike Dana joins Logistics Lens for a wide-ranging conversation about the past, present, and future of military logistics. Drawing on decades of operational experience and deployments around the world, Dana discusses the lessons he learned as a tank officer, logistics commander, and senior Marine Corps leader.The conversation explores the growing complexity and logistics burden of modern military systems, the challenge of sustaining distributed forces in a contested environment, and why future logisticians must prepare to “fight to get to the fight.” Dana also discusses innovation, autonomous distribution, additive manufacturing, predictive maintenance, commercial logistics capacity, and the importance of empowering junior Marines to experiment and solve problems.Along the way, he shares candid lessons about leadership, failure, the importance of listening to enlisted Marines, and the need to learn from mistakes rather than allowing fear of failure to suppress innovation.👉 Catch up on more episodes here: www.youtube.com/@The-Logistics-Lens

In Episode 26, Kevin Sampels sits down with retired Lieutenant General Leo Kosinski, currently Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager at ASI. In his role, Kosinski leads the company’s strategic efforts in Japan and across the broader Indo-Pacific, leveraging more than three decades of senior leadership experience in defense integration, regional security, and the U.S.–Japan alliance. In this conversation, they engage in a wide-ranging talk about his career in military logistics, leadership, aviation, and working with allies and partners around the world.Kosinski shares how growing up in Japan as the son of a Marine Corps pilot shaped the way he viewed culture, relationships, and military operations. His career took him from the cockpit of the T-38 and C-17 to senior leadership positions, including serving as Director of Logistics for the Joint Staff. Along the way, he learned that logistics is about much more than moving people and equipment. It depends on relationships, trust, communication, preparation, and a real understanding of the people and organizations involved.He talks about lessons from working with multinational forces, including an experience in France where a communications problem turned out to be a cultural and language issue. He also discusses helping build a 12-nation strategic airlift capability in Hungary and what it takes to bring different countries, organizations, and ways of thinking together around a common mission.The conversation also looks at how logistics has changed through COVID, the war in Ukraine, operations in Africa, and the growing challenge of contested logistics. Kosinski explains why military leaders need to look deeper into their supply chains, understand where critical parts and raw materials come from, and recognize that supply chain risk goes well beyond the prime contractor.Kosinski and Sampels also discuss artificial intelligence, decision-making, and the importance of using new technology while understanding its limitations. For Kosinski, technology can help, but it does not replace experience, judgment, relationships, or trust.The episode closes with a look at the Japanese values of giri, on, and gimu and how they influenced Kosinski's approach to service and relationships throughout his career—principles that continue to inform his leadership at ASI today. He also discusses his ongoing academic work on multinational defense integration and interoperability.At its core, this is a conversation about the human side of logistics and the lessons that come from a lifetime of working across cultures, organizations, and military services.

Four conversations examining how government, industry, and the sustainment community are working together to strengthen America’s defense industrial base, from supply-chain resilience and workforce development to critical materials and regional sustainment.   Jeffrey Frankston — Industrial Base ResilienceKevin Sampels speaks with Jeffrey Frankston, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Resilience, about the first Defense Industrial Base Accelerator Conference and the Department’s effort to bring government and industry together around a common mission. Frankston discusses the vulnerabilities created by single- and sole-source suppliers, the importance of identifying risks before they become crises, and the need to strengthen domestic capacity across critical sectors. He also highlights the importance of critical minerals and materials, industry feedback, targeted investments, and the use of analytics, appropriations, and authorities to address supply-chain challenges and build a more resilient industrial base.Vy Nguyen — Supply Chain Planning & Industrial AnalysisKevin Sampels sits down with Vy Nguyen, Director of Industrial Planning and Analysis, to examine how the Department is working to create a more predictable demand signal for industry and gain greater visibility into the defense supply chain. Nguyen explains how multi-year procurement can give companies the confidence to invest in capacity, while advanced analytics and industrial engineering help uncover vulnerabilities deeper in the second-, third-, and fourth-tier supplier base. The discussion also explores the importance of government-industry collaboration, supply-chain mapping, private investment, and building trust before a crisis occurs.Kristopher Rick — Build Freedom / WorkforceKevin Sampels talks with Kristopher Rick, Program Manager for the Defense Industrial Base Workforce, about Build Freedom, a national campaign designed to raise awareness of career opportunities across the defense industrial base. Rick explains how workforce development programs are connecting Americans with careers in skilled trades, manufacturing, technology, and other critical fields while helping address an aging workforce and rapidly growing demand for talent. The conversation looks at pathways beginning in K-12 education and continuing through technical schools, community colleges, transitioning service members, and workers looking to reskill—highlighting workforce development as a critical component of national security.4. Joe Brooks — Regional SustainmentKevin Sampels welcomes Joe Brooks, Executive Director of the Regional Sustainment Office, back to The Logistics Lens to discuss the evolution of Regional Sustainment Forces from a prototype program into a potential enduring capability. Brooks explains how the expansion of sustainment sites, multinational participation, and burden sharing can create a more distributed and resilient logistics network. The conversation also examines lessons learned from recent conflicts, the need to connect capabilities across multiple theaters, and the importance of giving commanders options for repair and sustainment rather than relying on predictable, vulnerable locations. Brooks and Sampels also discuss opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to work with major OEMs and bring innovative maintenance capabilities into the defense industrial base.👉 Catch up on more episodes here:⁠ www.youtube.com/@The-Logistics-Lens⁠#Strategy #Logistics #USArmy #Commerce #War

As space becomes the next operational domain, logistics is rapidly emerging as the critical enabler of both national security and commercial growth. In this episode of The Logistics Lens, Kevin sits down with Adam Merchant, Chief Revenue Officer at LEAP, to explore how space logistics is evolving from concept to capability.Adam explains why logistics in space extends far beyond launching rockets. From moving satellites between orbits and servicing spacecraft to delivering critical cargo anywhere on Earth in under an hour, the conversation highlights how commercial innovation is reshaping military sustainment and humanitarian response.Together, they discuss rocket cargo, in-space refueling, orbital infrastructure, AI-enabled logistics planning, partnerships between government and industry, and why today's logistics professionals have an opportunity to help define an entirely new field. If logistics has always been about delivering the right item to the right place at the right time, this episode explores what happens when that place extends beyond Earth.👉 Catch up on more episodes here: www.youtube.com/@The-Logistics-Lens#Strategy #Logistics #USArmy #Commerce #War

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jay Silveria shares lessons from a remarkable career that spans fighter pilot, combat commander, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and now President of the University of Arkansas System. He discusses how his leadership philosophy evolved from solving problems to building systems that solve problems, why strategic thinking separates exceptional leaders, how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education, and why logistics remains the decisive factor in military success. From stories at RAF Lakenheath to preparing future leaders for contested logistics, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for military professionals, educators, and business leaders alike. 👉 Catch up on more episodes here: www.youtube.com/@The-Logistics-Lens#Strategy #Logistics #USArmy #Commerce #War