Lessons from Mongolia
The reason the United States is the most powerful military in the world is because we have the best logistics in the world. The logistic strength of the Air Force, which is frequently called the “chair force” by other branches due to the large number of logistical personnel in the branch, makes it possible for the United States to fight.
POGs (Persons Other than Grunts, grunts referring to infantry) are also frequently mocked for not being true soldiers when in fact they are the reason infantry, special forces, and every other combat oriented soldier is able to fight. Whether it is arranging and transporting supplies or cooking meals, these POGs help us fight. In many ways, these inglorious professions are the beating heart and strong backbone of American military might.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French General once said; “Une armée marche sur son ventre” (An army marches on its stomach). Ever since the age of antiquity and before, the ability of armies and countries to fight has always been dictated by their ability to keep their forces fed, armed, and able to travel. An army does not just march on its stomach; its entire strategy is dictated by it.
The greatest empires in the world always have been, and always will be, those that can deploy troops quickly to the field, and sustain them there. The Mongols were well known for their ability to move rapidly across vast amounts of terrain. They were able to do this because of their horses, which provided both a method of transportation in and out of combat, and a self sustaining source of supplies. Mongols would drink the blood and milk of their horses when moving rapidly in order to stay nourished. This gave them a tremendous advantage over their adversaries.
An important thing to remember is that advantages in war are based on being superior to an adversary in one respect. The advantage does not have to be perfect or flawless; in war, it’s often about being less bad at something than an opponent. While the Mongols did not have C-130 Hercules Transport Planes, and the Modern US Army does not have Star Trek Transporters, the comparative advantage possessed over peers is significant.
The heart of America’s logistical advantages is that we are able to project massive amounts of troops across the globe with our transport planes, aircraft carriers, and supply ships. America’s naval and air power are essentially unchallenged, especially if combat were to occur far away both from the adversary and the United State’s mainland.
This ability to supply and support troops far afield on distant battlefields is further increased by the vast number of American bases in foreign countries around the globe. Small islands like Diego Garcia and Guam, and airfields like those in Ramstein, Germany and Okinawa dramatically increase America’s ability to keep naval forces supplied, allowing American fighters and bombers, as well as refueling aircraft, to vastly increase America’s strike range, and most importantly America’s strike range without signs of a buildup.
If another country were to attempt to strike a target far away from them, it would be almost impossible. In fact, multiple military analysts have noted that wars like those fought over the Falkland Islands in the 1980s would not be possible today because Argentina does not have the ability to even project its forces that far from the coast, and the United Kingdom could not mount an amphibious invasion without serious help from allies, *cough* *cough* America.
Even America’s most powerful adversaries, Russia and China, could not hope to supply a large force on another continent if the United States was trying to stop them. American military supremacy is not rooted in our lasers, or railguns, or even our metal exoskeletons, which will be debuted soon, but our transport ships.
In World War II, more than any other weapon except the atomic bomb, the greatest tool America possessed was “the Liberty Ship.” That was the name given to our transport vessels that carried millions of Americans off to fight, along with countless tons of food, ammunition, and supplies, as well as tanks, planes, and trucks. With these ships, we kept our own soldiers supplied, as well as our British and Soviet allies in the “lend lease program”
America needs to continue to invest in our military’s logistics to maintain and expand our ability to supply and project forces. Wars do not start overnight and if another country is attempting to build up its military forces enough to fight us, there will be ample warning and opportunities to match and deter them. Central to this is our military infrastructure and logistical chain.
In our increasingly global fight, America must continue to be on the cutting edge of logistics and supply chains, because without them, our iron man suits will break down, our lasers will not fire, and our drones will not fly. More than any other program, our logistics must be maintained and supported. It takes fourteen weeks to train an American infantry soldier; it takes years in peacetime, and months during war, to build a fully functional supply ship. But without that supply ship, that soldier will not be able to fight.
