Equation 4 · The Logistics Tail: Sustainment as the Binding Constraint on Organised Force
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Symbol v
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The structural consequence is a hard radius rather than a gradual decline. Consider a schematic model, offered to expose an assumption rather than to reproduce any historical campaign. A transport team departs a base carrying load , consumes f units of that same load per day for its own animals, and covers v units of distance per day. To reach a force at radius r and return, it is on the road for 2r/v days, so the load it can actually hand over is
Sources cited in the article section
- [4] Collections: Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part I: The Problem ↗
- [1] Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton ↗
- [2] The history of logistics and supplying war ↗
- [3] Some Thoughts on van Creveld's "Supplying War" ↗
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