Which level of sustainment links the US economic base in CONUS to military operations in theater?

• A. Strategic
• B. Operational
• C. Tactical
• D. Logistic

Answer: (A)

The linking of the US economic base in CONUS to military operations in theater is accomplished at the strategic level. This level handles long-range planning and coordination of resources across the nation, including the industrial base, production, procurement, contracting, and the movement of materiel and forces to distant theaters. It encompasses strategic lift and distribution, ports, and overall logistics capacity that connect what exists in the continental United States to what is needed overseas, aligning these capabilities with national policy and warfighting goals.

Within the theater, sustainment is addressed at the operational level, which focuses on sustaining campaigns and operations across campaigns and lines of operation, and at the tactical level, which deals with battlefield-level logistics for units. The term logistic describes the function of moving and supplying, but it isn’t a separate level of sustainment. That’s why strategic is the best fit for describing how the US economic base supports theater operations.