Future of Autonomous Ground Logistics: Convoys in the Department of Defense

Abstract

The military needs an autonomous ground convoy capability because the speed and complexity of the environment in which it operates has begun to exceed the abilities of its members to operate within it. U.S. Army doctrine requires the logistics forces to be able to provide continuous and uninterrupted distribution of supplies. Human frailty, high volumes of supplies, fast paced and offensive operations all hinder the ground transportation system from being able to keep pace. Operational commanders continue to hold back their operations and look back for the required supplies to sustain them. Robotics technology has reached a point where the technology is ready to support some military operations but funding priorities, planning horizons and organizational reluctance towards the new technology are hindering this evolution in transportation operations.