Following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean there has been widespread recognition of the importance of humanitarian logistics among its various stakeholders, including academics, humanitarian organizations, practitioners, and donors. The purpose of this article is to anticipate the numerous challenges that are likely to confront the field of humanitarian logistics in the near future. The study found that humanitarian organisations will increasingly need to achieve greater levels of efficiency, professionalism, and quality in order to remain relevant and competitive. To do this, these organisations will need to identify the most practical and effective means of establishing professional supply chain management and humanitarian logistics arrangements that use technology and emerging best practices. This can be achieved through the development of in-house capacity, partnership arrangements with larger humanitarian organisations and the private sector, or a combination of both.