{"id":536901,"date":"2025-07-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=536901"},"modified":"2025-07-16T19:18:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T19:18:07","slug":"sustainment-is-key-to-deterrence-on-natos-eastern-flank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=536901","title":{"rendered":"Sustainment is key to deterrence on NATO\u2019s Eastern Flank"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the Warriors Corner \u201cSustainment Implications for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)\u201d today, July 16, 2025 at the LANDEURO Conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin, commanding general of 21st TSC, was joined by Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen from Joint Forces Command – Brunssum, Col. Valdo Veski from the Estonian Defense Forces, and Mr. Shon Monasco of Palantir.
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\n The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the Warriors Corner \u201cSustainment Implications for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)\u201d today, July 16, 2025 at the LANDEURO Conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin, commanding general of 21st TSC, was joined by Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen from Joint Forces Command – Brunssum, Col. Valdo Veski from the Estonian Defense Forces, and Mr. Shon Monasco of Palantir.
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\n The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the Warriors Corner \u201cSustainment Implications for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)\u201d today, July 16, 2025 at the LANDEURO Conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin, commanding general of 21st TSC, was joined by Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen from Joint Forces Command – Brunssum, Col. Valdo Veski from the Estonian Defense Forces, and Mr. Shon Monasco of Palantir.
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\n The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the Warriors Corner \u201cSustainment Implications for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)\u201d today, July 16, 2025 at the LANDEURO Conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin, commanding general of 21st TSC, was joined by Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen from Joint Forces Command – Brunssum, Col. Valdo Veski from the Estonian Defense Forces, and Mr. Shon Monasco of Palantir.
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WIESBADEN, Germany \u2013 As NATO adapts to an evolving security environment, Maj. Gen. Ronald Ragin, commanding general of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, emphasized the central role of sustainment in supporting deterrence efforts on the Eastern Flank during a Warrior\u2019s Corner session at the LANDEURO conference, July 16, 2025.<\/p>\n

Hosted in Wiesbaden, the conference brought together senior U.S. and Allied leaders, logisticians, and industry partners to discuss joint sustainment strategies in support of NATO\u2019s Eastern Flank Deterrence Line.<\/p>\n

Ragin opened the session by highlighting the importance of preparation and the enduring value of mass in large-scale conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cMass still matters,\u201d Ragin said. \u201cThroughout history, we\u2019ve never quite gotten it right, the amount of ammunition and war materiel needed to sustain major operations. We can\u2019t afford to relearn that lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside Ragin, Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen from Joint Forces Command \u2013 Brunssum, Col. Valdo Veski from the Estonian Defense Forces, and Mr. Shon Monasco of Palantir outlined a roadmap for enhancing sustainment in Europe. The discussion focused on key areas: data integration, mission command, forward production, and the necessity of distributed logistics.<\/p>\n

Referencing the war in Ukraine, Ragin noted that fixed logistics nodes and large formations have become vulnerable in modern warfare.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe operate on a battlefield where if you can be seen, you can be killed,\u201d he said. \u201cThat changes everything for logisticians. Convoys and centralized depots are no longer survivable. We have to rethink how we distribute and sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rietbergen echoed those concerns, pointing out the risk of self-induced congestion and emphasizing the need for smaller, dispersed sustainment zones supported by real-time data.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need an enemy if we can\u2019t move our own supplies efficiently,\u201d Rietbergen said. \u201cPrepositioning and visibility are key. If we don\u2019t know where our stocks are, we lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

NATO recently selected the Maven Smart System for shared mission command and logistics visibility. Panelists agreed that the platform is only as good as the data it receives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaven isn\u2019t magic,\u201d Rietbergen added. \u201cWe need discipline to populate it correctly. Otherwise, it won\u2019t deliver the information our fighters need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veski, head of logistics for Estonia, underscored the urgency for frontline nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, logistics is deterrence,\u201d he said. \u201cWe must know where our supplies are and how to move them quickly. That requires data and coordination across the alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ragin also stressed the importance of producing equipment forward in Europe and reducing reliance on transatlantic resupply.<\/p>\n

\u201cWartime production is happening in Russia. Many of our allies aren\u2019t even close,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to build capacity here in the theater and figure out how to co-produce with our partners. That includes munitions, spare parts, and even maintenance capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The session was closed with a challenge to leaders across NATO.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we had just one year left before conflict, would we be doing the right things today?\u201d Ragin asked. \u201cAre we leveraging our partnerships, pushing industry hard enough, and preparing our logisticians for the fight ahead? Because time is not on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LANDEURO conference continues this week, bringing together multinational military leaders to advance NATO\u2019s transformation efforts under the theme, \u201cTransforming with Allies for the Future Fight.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted the Warriors Corner \u201cSustainment Implications for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)\u201d today, July 16, 2025 at the LANDEURO Conference in Wiesbaden, Germany. Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin, commanding general of 21st TSC, was joined by Brig. Gen. Ronald Rietbergen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536903,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-536901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=536901"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":536908,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536901\/revisions\/536908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/536903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=536901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=536901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=536901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}