How to supply a frigate

Abstract

Purpose -When deploying a frigate to the Gulf of Aden as a part of the Operation Atalanta, the Norwegian Defence outsourced logistics to a TPL provider. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cooperation between the Defence and the TPL provider during the operation. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative design was chosen. Semi-structured interviews were combined with relevant secondary sources. A theoretical framework formed the basis for the interviews. Findings -No long-term history existed between the parties before the cooperation, and no psychological contracts between individuals at tactical levels were made beforehand. Yet the cooperation was a success. It seems that this to a large degree depended on the individuals assigned to the project.Research limitations/implications -The research highlights the need to address not only how to design physical supply structures but also how to ensure adequate levels of collaborative competence within civil-military project groups. Further research is needed to investigate how to embed key suppliers in Defence logistics structures and how supply chains for short-term, limited deployments impact on logistics arrangements for the permanent structure of the Defence. Practical implications -This research gives the Norwegian Defence valuable knowledge about how to collaborate with commercial logistics providers. Originality/value -This research highlights challenges when embedding suppliers into military supply chains. This is of importance not just when supplying deployed forces but also when considering supplier integration, e.g. through PPP and PBL.

Using the military in disaster relief: systemising challenges and opportunities

“…The net result is that the logistics structure must have the ability to adapt to different levels of formalisation and integration, necessary traits in a humanitarian operation (Kov acs and Tatham, 2009;. Furthermore the use of outsourcing and partnering agreements will most likely increase in the future (Listou, 2011). Hence, to ensure efficient and effective logistics support in operations, the ability to work closely with commercial actors will be a critical asset.…”

“…These operations often require a different service with different resources, a different mission, and different logistics structure (Listou, 2011). For such operations, resources from the permanent defence structure need to be combined in new ways.…”

Outsourcing Canadian Armed Forces logistics in a foreign theatre

“…One key tenet of collaborative competence theory is that the synergies arising from the complementarity of different types of involvement can help overcome challenges (Mishra & Shah). Thus, the analysis of the challenges associated with military logistical activities could be performed using Listou's () key indicators of collaborative competence. Eight of these indicators could be seen as constructs of collaborative competence in the context of outsourcing military logistical activities: Complementary expertise : combining the actors' unique expertise; Transparency , confidence , trust : sense of security, mutual trust, make personal contributions; Role awareness : awareness of each other's roles, functions, and tasks allocation; Institutional logic : understand industry terminology, jargon, facts; Understanding of the organization and culture : understand organizational structures and cultures; Coordination of tasks : allocate and transfer tasks; pass them on to the right place/person; Instinct : understand tacit elements in the interactions; Training in interaction : internalize the principles of collaboration.…”

“…One key tenet of collaborative competence theory is that the synergies arising from the complementarity of different types of involvement can help overcome challenges (Mishra & Shah). Thus, the analysis of the challenges associated with military logistical activities could be performed using Listou's (2013) key indicators of collaborative competence. Eight of these indicators could be seen as constructs of collaborative competence in the context of outsourcing military logistical activities:…”

“…With the resolution of this conflict at the political level, we are able to publish this research, which is still very relevant. For instance, Listou (, p. 135) recently wrote: “Little research on how defence organizations actually cooperate with commercial suppliers can be found in peer‐reviewed academic journals.” In fact, as is the case for military logistics in general, the literature regarding outsourcing is scattered and tends to use a normative perspective (Davids et al, ). Although situations similar to the one presented in our exploratory case study happen more often than before in foreign theatres, data collection still represents a major challenge due to limited access to foreign theatres.…”