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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jjkirk who wrote (9162)	11/6/2001 11:27:24 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

"Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics", jjkirk... That's such a telling quote about the way America has fought its wars over the past century. It's more a matter of overwhelming the enemy with firepower than with clever tactics (Patton being a notable exception to that rule). And as we've discussed before, I agree with you view that the only way to establish outselves in country is around an airbase, most likely Mazar E Sharif. or potentially in the south if we can turn the Pashtuns to our side (or at least against the Taliban) so we can deliver heavy equipment, as well as Class III/V. But I will state that sometimes the logistics folks fail to understand that every person they have running supplies is one soldier that's not up at the front. We discovered that reality in the European theater during WWII. We were constantly running short of infantrymen, and were forced to constantly raid the various "communication zones" who were competing with them for manpower. So while acknowledging the special roll of logistics in US military strategy, let's acknowledge that they should be over-emphasized to the point where the quality of troops on the front line are impaired. Hawk

To: jjkirk who wrote (9162)	11/7/2001 2:02:50 AM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 281500

Hi jjkirk. Just finished reading Wellington, a personal history. By Christopher Hibbert. Great bedtime read. Not much military stuff in it. Wellington did spend much of his efforts on the correct movement of bullock carts, food supplies, horse transport and forage, blankets and kettles. During Portugese Dourno campagn he relied on such support to defeat the French. "We are not naturally a military people, he wrote, the whole business of the army upon service is foreign to our habits...particularly in a poor country like this". Yet he saw that in poverty an advantage since the French armies would find it difficult to raise supplies in enemy territory. So your point about professionals study (or should be studying -g-)logistics is well taken. -g- I understand several accidental bombings have hit UN food supplies recently. I wonder if the Taliban logistic support have made alternative arrangements? Those winter snow drifts in the Afghan mountain passes require camels with very long legs to pass them.