By Paul R Salmon FCILT, FSCM
In an age of weaponised supply chains, geopolitical turbulence, and denied environments, logisticians and supply chain leaders are asking: is near-sourcing the key to overcoming contested logistics?
🌍 What Is Near-Sourcing?
Near-sourcing means shifting production and supply closer to the point of consumption. Instead of relying on globalised supply chains stretching across vulnerable chokepoints, it focuses on regional or domestic supply bases to reduce transit risk and increase agility.
⚔️ Why Near-Sourcing Seems Like the Answer in Contested Environments
Reduced Vulnerability to Chokepoints Near-sourcing bypasses strategic flashpoints like the Suez Canal or South China Sea that can easily be disrupted. Shorter, More Agile Supply Chains Faster replenishment cycles and less dependence on complex, multi-leg supply routes. Lower Exposure to Cyber & Hybrid Threats Simpler networks mean fewer digital entry points for adversaries to exploit. Better Integration With Defence Ecosystems Domestic and regional suppliers can align more tightly with military requirements.
🚨 The Challenges of Near-Sourcing in Defence
But near-sourcing is not a silver bullet. It brings its own risks:
Cost Trade-Offs Near-sourcing can be significantly more expensive, particularly for defence-grade materials and technologies. Capacity and Capability Gaps Not all regions have the industrial base or skills to produce critical components or spares. Strategic Overconfidence Near-sourcing may create a false sense of security if adversaries can still disrupt domestic infrastructure. Resource Scarcity Defence supply chains rely on materials like rare earths, which are geographically concentrated in adversary nations.
🛡 The Way Forward: Near-Sourcing as Part of a Broader Toolkit
Near-sourcing works best when combined with other resilience strategies:
✅ Distributed & Redundant Supply Chains
✅ Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) at the tactical edge
✅ Strategic Stockpiling of critical spares
✅ Multi-sourcing to avoid single points of failure
✅ Digital twins to stress-test supply networks under attack
“Near-sourcing isn’t the answer – it’s part of the answer. Contested logistics requires a mosaic of solutions.”
By 2030, the question won’t be “should we near-source?” but “how do we balance efficiency, resilience, and adaptability across global and regional networks?”
📣 Call to Action
Defence and industry must act now to reconfigure supply chains before the next crisis. Near-sourcing has a role to play – but only as part of a broader strategy to out-think and out-manoeuvre adversaries in the logistics domain.
