The Sustainment Battle Staff & Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) Guide

Since 2004, the US Army has started a revolution of reorganization and doctrine development throughout its Combat, Combat Support and especially Combat Service Support "logistics" organizations, known as "Transformation."

In the logistics or "Sustainment" arena, the Army's concept towards supporting other units has changed from the old "out-stockpile" the enemy concept towards a system used by modern civilian distributors - "Just-In-Time" sustainment, leaving planning and synchronizing throughput of commodities and support to the customer with little margin of error. To successfully accomplish this, Sustainment planners must thoroughly understand the Military Decision Making Process or "MDMP" for short.

Conducting a Sustainment oriented MDMP is essential in integrating the Sustainment War Fighting Functional Area into the unit's plan and for ensuring a synchronized and supportable course of action. Successful integration is a result of having the right personnel, available tools, correct MDMP methodology, and synchronized timeline throughout the process. If this guide can assist logistics' planners in accomplishing this process, then it has accomplished its intent and mission.