The themes of US military logistics.

From a historical perspective, ten major themes stand out in modern US military logistics.

* The tendency to neglect logistics in peacetime and expand hastily to respond to military situations or conflict.

* The increasing importance of logistics in terms of strategy and tactics. Since the turn of the century, logistical considerations increasingly have dominated both the formulation and execution of strategy and tactics.

* The growth in both complexity and scale of logistics in the 20th century. Rapid advances in technology and the speed and lethality associated with modern warfare have increased both the complexity and scale of logistics support.

* The need for cooperative logistics to support allied or coalition warfare. Virtually every war involving US forces since World War I has involved providing or, in some cases, receiving logistics support from allies or coalition partners. In peacetime, there has been an increasing reliance on host-nation support and burden sharing.

* Increasing specialization in logistics. The demands of modern warfare have increased the level of specialization among support forces.

* The growing tooth-to-tail ratio and logistics footprint issues associated with modern warfare. Modern, complex, ...