The security landscape in Europe has changed permanently. Crises, hybrid threats, and supply chain disruptions demonstrate that logistics not only fulfills an economic function but is also strategic infrastructure and indispensable for the defense sector.
The ability to maintain supply chains is directly linked to a state’s capacity to act, both in defense scenarios and in civilian crisis situations.
Modern defense activities require robust and resilient logistics systems capable of meeting the challenges posed by geopolitical uncertainties and hybrid threats. Supply chains must develop resilience through resource diversification, redundant network structures, and strategic stockpiling. Digital technologies such as real-time tracking and AI-driven optimization offer decisive advantages for ensuring a sustainable supply chain.
This is where the partnership between the private sector and the military comes into play: Private-military cooperation (PMC) in the field of logistics is particularly important for providing coordinated aid and support in the event of a crisis. It facilitates the shared use of logistical resources between organizations and the armed forces, optimizes supply chains, and ensures security in the use of critical infrastructure. Resilience strategies not only strengthen the protection of supply routes but also enable rapid mobility and operational security, even under extreme conditions.
We support the defense sector with both professional and technical expertise and the appropriate logistics expertise:
Supply chain
Production and manufacturing
Technology
Start-ups
Today’s logistics landscape is fragmented, with systems, data flows, and responsibilities spread across government agencies, companies, and national borders. Yet logistics is essential for Europe’s sovereignty and defense capabilities. It makes a decisive contribution to the operational and strategic capabilities of a defense system and ensures that Germany remains capable of acting in the event of a defense crisis.
Logistical challenges in the defense sector include:
As a neutral partner, Fraunhofer IML supports efforts to increase the resilience, efficiency, and security of logistics processes. The fundamental dual-use capability of logistics presents a major opportunity to transfer innovation and performance from the civilian and private sectors to the military sector.
DISMOD is an analysis and planning tool that enables holistic supply chain optimization, from suppliers through production to distribution. It integrates state-of-the-art methods, including machine learning, and offers modules for site selection, route planning, and capacity management to make logistics processes more efficient.
The Collaborative Demand Aligner is a web-based coordination tool for aligning demand (quantity/time) between producers and suppliers. This open-source tool is designed to increase planning reliability in production planning while respecting data sovereignty.
The Roadmap for Predictive Maintenance serves as a structured guide for companies to implement a data-driven maintenance strategy. It covers the establishment of a data and knowledge base, solutions for data quality and processing, as well as specific strategies that can be applied as a template for different companies and machine types.
Defense refers to measures taken to protect against and defend against threats, attacks, or other dangers. In a military context, it involves repelling enemy forces and protecting national interests through armed forces or defense systems. It can also be applied in civilian, legal, or sporting contexts to ensure protection or defense.
Defense logistics describes the planning and execution of the supply and mobility of armed forces, including material transport, maintenance, and infrastructure management. It ensures that military equipment and personnel are available on time and in the required quantities to enable and carry out operations. Its importance is growing through the integration of modern technologies and internationally coordinated systems.
Civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) describes the close collaboration between military and civilian organizations, government agencies, or NGOs to promote security, disaster relief, and national defense. In this context, civilian resources are coordinated to support military tasks while simultaneously protecting civilian infrastructure. It is a key component of resilient national and international crisis management.
Private-sector-military cooperation (PSMC) encompasses collaboration between government defense structures and private-sector companies. The goal is to make military logistics and supply chains more efficient and resilient through private-sector resources, often using digital platforms and innovative technologies. PSMC strengthens defense capabilities and national security by leveraging synergies between government and private-sector expertise.
The term “dual-use” refers to products, technologies, or research results that were primarily developed for civilian purposes but, due to their characteristics (e.g., material properties), can also be used for military purposes. Such goods can pose security risks and are therefore subject to strict export controls to prevent potential misuse. The EU Dual-Use Regulation governs these goods and establishes licensing requirements to ensure international security.
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML