How to supply a frigate

Purpose – When deploying a frigate to the Gulf of Aden as a part of the Operation Atalanta, the Norwegian Defence outsourced logistics to a TPL provider. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cooperation between the Defence and the TPL provider during the operation. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative design was chosen. Semi‐structured interviews were combined with relevant secondary sources. A theoretical framework formed the basis for the interviews. Findings – No long‐term history existed between the parties before the cooperation, and no psychological contracts between individuals at tactical levels were made beforehand. Yet the cooperation was a success. It seems that this to a large degree depended on the individuals assigned to the project. Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the need to address not only how to design physical supply structures but also how to ensure adequate levels of collaborative competence within civil‐military project groups. Further research is needed to investigate how to embed key suppliers in Defence logistics structures and how supply chains for short‐term, limited deployments impact on logistics arrangements for the permanent structure of the Defence. Practical implications – This research gives the Norwegian Defence valuable knowledge about how to collaborate with commercial logistics providers. Originality/value – This research highlights challenges when embedding suppliers into military supply chains. This is of importance not just when supplying deployed forces but also when considering supplier integration, e.g. through PPP and PBL.