An Asset-Based View: Bennett on Civil Investment and Military Readiness
By Fayçal Boumerkhoufa and Leslie Meredith
From Issue 5, 2025 of Breakbulk Magazine
(1-minute read)
Civil transportation investment does more than serve commercial customers. It supports the supply chains that U.S. government and military operations depend on. Ted Gaze, vice president of supply chain, projects and sales at Bennett International Logistics, says the trucks, trailers and logistics facilities developed for private industry provide the capacity the military needs when demand shifts or surges.
“Military manufacturing remains a GDP driver and a foundation revenue stream for U.S. transportation,” Gaze says. “But the civil side ensures the infrastructure is there when government demand rises.”
That overlap now includes technology. Government supply chains follow the same competitive models as e-commerce, with EDI interfaces, real-time tracking and benchmark standards set by platforms like Amazon Business.
Execution, however, is where differences appear. As an asset-based forwarder, Bennett has faced challenges competing with non-asset brokers that lack customer service infrastructure, insurance protection and experienced personnel. “That leads to accidents, delays and losses that cost time and money,” Gaze says.
Looking ahead, AI promises to automate track and trace, documentation, customer service and pricing. But Gaze cautions that knowledge developed over decades in logistics cannot be replaced by software. With more than 40 years of experience, he has seen how quickly expertise can be lost as leaders retire. Government planners are now relying more heavily on subcontractors and carriers at the execution stage rather than involving them in planning.
“That creates new risks for success and financial exposure for all parties,” he says. “The future will require closer integration, not less.”
Read more in our series on military logistics:
How To Break Into Government Contracts
Readiness, Resources and Timing for Project Logistics
Photo: Ted Gaze (pictured far right) with colleagues during loading of an AN-124. Credit: Gaze