Combat Logistics

COMBAT LOGISTICS

How successful do you think our military would be on the battle field if every soldier only could use what he or she could carry and there were no arrangements for reinforcements or re-supply? Even though some believe war is fast and clean, war is tough because of the logistics and the human factor. In this essay I want to show you how important the logistic planning process is and how it affects the battle. Throughout this document one will understand how without logistical support, wars would be difficult to sustain; understanding early planning processes, modern needs and some historical facts along with my personnel experience.

With war, comes the logistics to carry on the fight. Part of the planning of any conflict must involve plans for resupply of materials and sustenance. Here is a list of questions that one has to ask prior to starting a conflict. One must also consider where to receive the materials from. Will the materials be acquired locally or will the troops bring in their supplies from home? How will the military move these items? Will ships, planes, trucks or people be used to move these? Ships can take a very long time to get somewhere across the ocean. Flying is very expensive and one is limited on what might move due to size. Of course there are trucks, right? Trucks are great but if there is some rough terrain or if one would need supplies in another country that is just not feasible. People cannot carry a vast amount of supplies. These are all good considerations for planning a conflict but let’s take a look back and see if these things still held any weight. Below is a chart that outlines the materials and supplies needed to win a war!

This chart show the respective supplies needed to sustain a confrontation over a set period of time. Logistical support is the backbone to win a war!

When going into the history of any war, even Alexander the Great had to worry about how to feed the soldiers. When...