From Frontline to Return Flow: A Systematic Review of Technologies Enabling Reverse Logistics in the Defence Sector
1
Foreign Trade, Istanbul Ticaret University, Turkey
Submission date: 2026-06-08
Final revision date: 2026-08-07
Acceptance date: 2026-09-06
Online publication date: 2026-09-23
Publication date: 2026-09-23
Corresponding author
Przegląd Nauk o Obronności 2025;(22):158-177
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
To systematically review academic and institutional literature on technologies enabling Defence Reverse Logistics (DRL), examining which technology domains are active in DRL, what evidence supports their effectiveness, what limitations exist, and how these technologies interact within an integrated capability framework.
Methods:
A PRISMA-guided systematic review searched Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, DTIC, NPS, and AFIT for sources published between January 2001 and April 2025. Boolean search strings combined reverse-logistics, defence, and technology-related terms. Sources were screened using defined criteria and grouped into four evidence-source categories: empirical, conceptual or review, government or institutional, and practitioner sources.
Results:
Of 1,847 identified records, 68 sources met the inclusion criteria. Seven technology domains were identified: RFID/AIT, Blockchain/DLT, AI/ML, IoMT, Additive Manufacturing, Digital Twins, and Cloud/ERP. RFID and Cloud/ERP showed the highest maturity. AM had growing empirical support, while AI/ML evidence remained mainly conceptual and institutional. Six common barriers were identified: security classification, legacy infrastructure, workforce capability, certification, budget cycles, and coalition interoperability.
Conclusions:
No single technology fully addresses DRL modernisation needs. Integrating technologies through the layered TEDRL framework may provide broader capabilities, although this proposition requires empirical validation. Full integration remains uncommon. TEDRL therefore provides a conceptual map for strategic DRL management and future empirical testing.
To systematically review academic and institutional literature on technologies enabling Defence Reverse Logistics (DRL), examining which technology domains are active in DRL, what evidence supports their effectiveness, what limitations exist, and how these technologies interact within an integrated capability framework.
Methods:
A PRISMA-guided systematic review searched Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, DTIC, NPS, and AFIT for sources published between January 2001 and April 2025. Boolean search strings combined reverse-logistics, defence, and technology-related terms. Sources were screened using defined criteria and grouped into four evidence-source categories: empirical, conceptual or review, government or institutional, and practitioner sources.
Results:
Of 1,847 identified records, 68 sources met the inclusion criteria. Seven technology domains were identified: RFID/AIT, Blockchain/DLT, AI/ML, IoMT, Additive Manufacturing, Digital Twins, and Cloud/ERP. RFID and Cloud/ERP showed the highest maturity. AM had growing empirical support, while AI/ML evidence remained mainly conceptual and institutional. Six common barriers were identified: security classification, legacy infrastructure, workforce capability, certification, budget cycles, and coalition interoperability.
Conclusions:
No single technology fully addresses DRL modernisation needs. Integrating technologies through the layered TEDRL framework may provide broader capabilities, although this proposition requires empirical validation. Full integration remains uncommon. TEDRL therefore provides a conceptual map for strategic DRL management and future empirical testing.
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| eISSN: | 2719-6763 |
| ISSN: | 2450-6869 |
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