Posted on Oct 30, 2022
Future Army Brigades Will Fight for a Week Without Resupply, General Says
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https://www.military.com/dodbuzz/2018/11/06/future-army-brigades-will-fight-week-without-resupply-general-says.html
They never learn. I honestly wonder if history is being stressed strongly enough at the War Colleges. The GWOT is a poor predictor of expendable use in a peer to near peer conflict. Then there is the concern over the "baggage train" (Logis please don't take offense, I am making a point) becoming disordered by the Brigade in a highly fluid kinetic operation. They don't call it the "fog of war" by accident. Whatever can go wrong will go wrong and in a vastly more complicated way than ever anticipated.
They never learn. I honestly wonder if history is being stressed strongly enough at the War Colleges. The GWOT is a poor predictor of expendable use in a peer to near peer conflict. Then there is the concern over the "baggage train" (Logis please don't take offense, I am making a point) becoming disordered by the Brigade in a highly fluid kinetic operation. They don't call it the "fog of war" by accident. Whatever can go wrong will go wrong and in a vastly more complicated way than ever anticipated.
Logistics
Chief of Staff
General Officers
Edited 2 y ago
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 2
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Yes, it appears that issues with the baggage train will continue to exist regardless of the theater of operations, it can't be helped. With MSR's being sabotaged with IED's, or Drones and an enemy that could/would lay siege to either the forward element or to the ALOC; in theater logistics will always have issues, even when using aviation assets. Though Bullets and Combat meal rations will always be the first items needed to be sent forward, it doesn't always mean that those particular items will be the first items unloaded from the Division or Corp supporting the action.
During the 'Cold war', it was understood by those of us in Europe that resupply might be a long time in coming and to learn to live with what's at hand until the end, cannibalize what will never move or operate again to repair what's broke. As for food...hunt, with snares, but don't hurt the livestock, medical care Doc' should learn folk medicine
During the 'Cold war', it was understood by those of us in Europe that resupply might be a long time in coming and to learn to live with what's at hand until the end, cannibalize what will never move or operate again to repair what's broke. As for food...hunt, with snares, but don't hurt the livestock, medical care Doc' should learn folk medicine
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Sir, this seems to me to be an answer to exactly the problems you are concerned about.
The intent here is not to deploy Brigades with no logistical support at all. It is to deploy them with all the current logistical support - but enable them to survive a week when the supply lines are cut, disorganized, broken, etc.
Our current Brigades can only survive about 3 days without a ROBUST logistical support capability. While we are not Russia, we saw / are seeing how well this works in the Ukraine. The Russian Army was romping... for about 3 or 4 days.
If suppline line are.properly established, the 7-day supply will be rotational. I get supplies in every couple days and use the oldest first. If you current my supply lines, even if the last re-supply was three days ago, I still have 4 more days to re-establish those supply lines. And 4 days in a kinetic fight is a lifetime. Now, I don't need re-supply EVERY day, "just in case" (and In OIF 1, my company-sized unit - which was co-located with BDE HQ - ran re-supply runs up to "division main" 28 days a month, traveling up IED alley every morning and back down it every afternoon). And if the supply lines are cut, I don't have to stop patrolling because I am low on gas or bullets.
I see nothing bad in this concept, provided we don't decide to stop providing logistical support, which I find a highly unlikely probability.
The intent here is not to deploy Brigades with no logistical support at all. It is to deploy them with all the current logistical support - but enable them to survive a week when the supply lines are cut, disorganized, broken, etc.
Our current Brigades can only survive about 3 days without a ROBUST logistical support capability. While we are not Russia, we saw / are seeing how well this works in the Ukraine. The Russian Army was romping... for about 3 or 4 days.
If suppline line are.properly established, the 7-day supply will be rotational. I get supplies in every couple days and use the oldest first. If you current my supply lines, even if the last re-supply was three days ago, I still have 4 more days to re-establish those supply lines. And 4 days in a kinetic fight is a lifetime. Now, I don't need re-supply EVERY day, "just in case" (and In OIF 1, my company-sized unit - which was co-located with BDE HQ - ran re-supply runs up to "division main" 28 days a month, traveling up IED alley every morning and back down it every afternoon). And if the supply lines are cut, I don't have to stop patrolling because I am low on gas or bullets.
I see nothing bad in this concept, provided we don't decide to stop providing logistical support, which I find a highly unlikely probability.
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Thank you. This is an obvious lesson that I should consider more carefully what I am qualified to comment upon.
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