To recognize the evolution of operational logistics of the Coast Guard, the Director of Operational Logistics (DOL) is renamed the Operational Logistics Command (LOGCOM).
And, the LOGCOM enterprise is growing! LOGCOM will establish Base Guam, Base St. Louis and Base Borinquen this winter, and Base North Bend next summer.
LOGCOM has single overarching command authority for all Base commands in the Coast Guard to execute mission support to contingency response, steady state, and expeditionary operations.
Contingency response support
By maintaining technical and business discipline, LOGCOM caters to the requirement for a single point of contact during contingencies when time is of the essence. Addressing the issues of redundant services within the same geographic footprint and the need for clearly defined lines between operations and depot-level support for different assets also contributes to LOGCOM's success.
While named storms make up many of these cases, other contingency support in the past year included response to the surge in migrant interdiction, winter weather damage, an earthquake in California and low water levels and saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River. LOGCOM also works with the Department of Defense (DoD) to coordinate movement of USCG forces on DoD ships and aircraft to support their operations.
Steady state mission support
LOGCOM streamlined operations by integrating mission support activities at the service delivery level.
The ability to deliver consistent and reliable support relies heavily on LOGCOM’s 22 Bases.
During steady state operations, LOGCOM focuses on:
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Providing administrative support to the fleet.
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Managing active duty, reserve and civilian personnel management.
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Overseeing base operational support and interfacing with technical authorities.
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Handling logistical support and coordination for logistics centers and service centers.
Support for Expeditionary Logistics Support
LOGCOM’s newest mission set capability, expeditionary logistics, or LOG-X, achieved full operating capability in August 2023. LOG-X supported numerous national security cutter deployments throughout the Pacific as well as several long-distance fast response cutter deployments throughout the Western Pacific and Oceania and in the Western Hemisphere as far south as Peru.
LOG-X also maintains a deployable support team with members of multiple ratings and specialized skillsets in Guam and Hawaii. LOG-X has full time liaison officers assigned to Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Navy Logistics Western Pacific and Joint Interagency Task Force South. These liaisons continue to improve expeditionary mission support and integration with DoD logistics systems.
While the missions don’t change with the renaming of the unit, operational logistics has significantly matured since the initial stand-up of DOL. LOGCOM remains focused on providing service to the field, finding new and innovative ways of providing integrated mission support and removing barriers between operations and mission support.
In 2010, DOL was born out of a recognized need for consistency in policies and processes across Coast Guard units. The majority of mission support work at the time was conducted with locally developed practices, leading to inefficiencies and disparities in readiness levels and service quality. DOL established a standard organizational construct and maintained unity of command across all bases.