Perhaps no other field of military science is more misunderstood than logistics. Yet the means of supply, transportation, maintenance, and a variety of other supporting services frequently affect the daily lives of soldiers, the tactics of divisions, and the strategies of nations. Battles have been won, and wars have been lost, at least in part because of an army's ability to sustain itself in combat. U.S. Army Logistics, 1775-1992: An Anthology is designed to introduce to the soldier and the student of logistics a variety of topical selections that cover over 200 years of our army's history. In many cases, the reader may be intrigued by how often problems were repeated in different conflicts. There were remarkable similarities in transportation problems during the Mexican War and World War II, and comparable supply management difficulties arose during the Korean War and the war in Vietnam. How military personnel dealt with these issues and what successive generations learned from these experiences provide valuable insights for logisticians and commanders today. The selections for this anthology were made by Lt. Col. Charles R. Shrader, who was eminently qualified for this task. Blending his years of experience as an Army logistician and historian, Colonel Shrader has assembled a unique collection of essays that cover both the breadth and depth of Army logistics from the frozen hills of Valley Forge to the burning deserts of Southwest Asia. For the commander and the logistician, the soldier and the student, here is a book that will stimulate thought, encourage discussions, and provide perspective to an essential element of military science.

United States Army Logistics, 1775-1992, is an annotated documentary history that covers the breadth and depth of Army logistics from the frozen hills of Valley Forge during the American Revolution to the burning deserts of Southwest Asia during the Persian Gulf crisis. How military personnel have dealt with logistical problems and what successive generations learned from these experiences provide valuable insights for logisticians and commanders today. Shrader's work will stimulate thought, encourage discussion, and provide perspective to an essential element of military science.

A record of the Army's experience in developing a workable and effective logistical system against the background of changing conditions in both peace and war.

You can train men to fight. You can plan for the invasion. But you can't have success on the battlefield if you cannot move the men and material into position. Success is not possible without logistical support and capabilities. The U.S. Army's logistics system began with practically nothing and through numerous conflicts and periods of peace has developed into a first rate supply system capable of supporting the global military commitments of the present day. This work presents the history of U.S. Army logistics as one of evolution, trial and error, and occasionally revolutionary change over a period of two hundred plus years. It is important that logisticians and combat leaders alike understand how the United States Army logistical system developed; the challenges that had to be overcome; and the successes and failures encountered along the way. Creating the U.S. Army in 1775 proved to be easy compared to the task of keeping the army adequately supplied over the short and long term. The availability of resources, industrial capacity, size of the army, geographic scope of operations, organization of the logistics system, competent leadership, congressional support, funding, and new technology have, and continue to impact the logistical system on a daily basis. Each new period of peace or war has brought new challenges and requirements. This work is broken into two key parts. First, to inform the reader on the basic history of U.S. Army Logistics. Second, to identify the key factors that influenced the development of the logistical system.