Transcom Commander Draws Connection Between Hope, Lethality

During his keynote remarks at U.S. Transportation Command’s fall meeting in Grapevine, Texas, yesterday, Transcom’s commander discussed how the concepts of hope and lethality are tied together as they relate to the world of military logistics. 

Air Force Gen. Randall Reed explained that, as he looked at how Transcom could improve and ensure the joint force is more lethal and agile, he realized hope is extremely useful for the warfighter because it gets to the root cause of any given problem. 

“Hope is an expression of uncertainty, and that identifies a gap that needs to be filled,” he said. “We, as logisticians, deal with uncertainty all the time. And we organize, train and equip ourselves to fill in that gap and replace uncertainty with certainty. And when we do that, we guarantee success.” 

Reed went on to explain that hope and lethality can coexist because they both stem from the same pressure. 

“The same operational pressure that creates uncertainty, driving somebody to hope, is the same operational pressure that calls for potentially the use of lethality, or at least being ready to execute that lethality,” he said. 

Reed added that, once it’s understood how two concepts, such as hope and lethality, can coexist and how they can be used in a practical way, “the magic happens.” 

Reed said his understanding of this was more clearly illustrated by observing the logistical efforts that went into the opening days of Operation Epic Fury. 

He noted that while many people in and around the Arabian Gulf were doing all they could to run away from the source of the conflict, the military logistics enterprise was running toward it. 

“We run to the sound of guns, and we weren’t just running to the sound of guns because the joint force needed us there,” Reed said. “We also had our own civilians — our own citizens — and citizens from around the world who needed help to get out.” 

He added that Transcom provided life-saving care to the region quickly, along with food and other essentials, while also solidifying relationships with friends, allies and partners. 

Reed explained that, by understanding this duality of lethality and hope, Transcom and industry could plan in the days leading up to Operation Epic Fury, ensuring the combatant command could make a difference. 

“And so, it’s no longer foreign to me as to how these two things can coexist, and why we as practitioners can benefit from redefining this idea of hope equating to uncertainty, and then really working hard to eliminate the uncertainty to come up with solutions,” he said. 

The fall meeting is an annual four-day, cosponsored event that began in 2013 to provide the government and industry partners with the opportunity to identify and solve logistics and transportation challenges, learn about innovative technologies, develop best practices, and build professional and personal relationships.