Department of the Army

Sustainment (Adrp 4-0 / FM 4-0) Department of the Army

Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 4-0, "Sustainment," is the Army's doctrine for sustainment in support of operations. The doctrine discussed in this manual is nested with ADRP 3-0, "Unified Land Operations," and describes the sustainment warfighting function. The endurance of Army forces is primarily a function of their sustainment. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. It is essential to retaining and exploiting the initiative. Sustainment provides the support necessary to maintain operations until mission accomplishment. Sustainment is crucial to the success of operations. It must be planned and synchronized with the operation at every level. It is dependent upon joint and strategic links and must be meticulously coordinated to ensure resources are delivered to the lowest level of need. Therefore, sustainment is inherently joint. The combatant commander (CCDR) is able to maximize the effect of combat power through joint interdependence. The Army's capabilities enable joint interdependence into a theater of operations. The Army's robust sustainment capability assists in providing crucial theater and port opening functions enabling joint forces to conduct strategic and operational reach. Once the theater is set, Army sustainment capabilities continue to provide the bulk of Army support to other services (ASOS), common user logistics (CUL), and other common sustainment resources. This enables joint forces with freedom of action and endurance. Through mission command, sustainment commanders instill confidence and disciplined initiative in subordinate commanders which enable them to be bold in taking decisive action.