For those who may not have already seen it, the Joint Staff J4 has issued a new version of Joint Publication 4-0 Joint Logistics dated 20 July 2023. For those not familiar with this document, JP 4-0 serves as “…the keystone document of the joint logistics series. It provides fundamental principles and guidance for logistics planning, execution, and assessment in support of joint operations. It also discusses logistics responsibilities, authorities, and control options available to a joint force commander (JFC) and offers precepts to inform the commander’s decision-making process.” Changes from the earlier February 2019 version include:

• “Clarifies the distinction between sustainment and logistics
• Incorporates lessons learned from operating in globally integrated operations and articulates ongoing trends that threaten logistics in the global environment
• Highlights the importance of building partnerships with Allies and Partners to enhance logistics capabilities
• Adds content on integrating commercial capabilities in planning and operations aligned with changes to Joint Publication 3-0, Joint Campaigns and Operations, and underscores the importance of managing commercial reliance to be threat-informed, balancing risk and opportunities, and promoting resilience
• Incorporates an emphasized importance of joint logistics education
• Updates the principles of logistics based upon lessons learned
• Updates and clarifies joint logistics roles and responsibilities, including those belonging to the Department of Defense as well as interagency partners; enhances discussion of multinational cooperation in joint logistics
• Refreshes and modernizes the discussion of technologies available for logisticians to enable joint logistics
• Incorporates space operations—both logistics support to space operations and space operations that support logistics
• Adds “Joint Logistics Assessments” as a standalone chapter VI, rather than including assessments within chapter V, “Joint Logistics Execution”
• Deletes several appendices that have their own standalone publication, including Defense Transportation System, Sealift Support to Joint Operations, Joint Terminal Operations, Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, Joint Health Services, Joint Bulk Petroleum and Water Doctrine, Joint Mobilization Planning, Distribution Operations, and Operational Contract Support
• Reflects a complete rewrite of “Mortuary Affairs” in Appendix D
• Updates, adds, and removes terms and definitions from various figures”

A reminder from the Joint Doctrine Publications website: “Effective 1 Jan 2019 per Director Joint Force Development: Joint Doctrine constitutes official advice, however, the judgment of the commander is paramount in all situations.”