Professor Stanisław Oziemski, with whom I have had the pleasure of speaking many times, repeatedly emphasizes in his articles and statements that modern logistics should be perceived in philosophical categories. It seems to me that even a very deep philosophical thought – I am referring to the second part of the Professor’s statement – does not authorize the claim that (…) looking philosophically, the goal of civil logistics is to “make the customer happy”, and military logistics – “to kill him” (…) Logistics, as a field of knowledge, has indisputably developed in the military. It constitutes the theory and practice in the scope of supply, transport and communication, administration and maintenance, repair, evacuation of the wounded and sick, and the use of local resources. It has repeatedly decided the effectiveness of operational actions, the fate of battles and wars. Throughout history, the issues of logistical support for the operations of armed forces have been subject to successive modernization, adapting to current operational-tactical and economic conditions.
The historical process of searching for logistical principles should be linked to the evolution of scientific military thought, of which logistical thought is undoubtedly a part. The search for logistical principles in available historical sources reflects the view that in the processes of supplying and exploiting resources allocated to the army, there are certain regularities, referred to as logistical actions. The evolution of the semantic interpretation of these actions allows them to be grouped into five problem areas: material supply, transport, operation of technical equipment, medical care, and administration. A number of modern logistical concepts indicate that in the history of logistics, two fundamental periods should be distinguished: the ancient period and the logistics of our era.
The ancient period, in the light of historical research, provides a number of valuable pieces of information about the birth and development of logistical actions, and later, logistics. Historians of the art of war agree that the dominant feature of the oldest slave-owning states that created ancient civilization was a high degree of organization of their armed forces. This was accompanied by a high – for those times – level of development of practical knowledge regarding the gathering and distribution of supplies on the battlefield. Historical facts indicate that commanders of that time attached great importance to actions that can be described as logistical.
Logistics of the modern era is a logistics of long-term changes and transformations. In the first phase of its development, it is difficult to speak of logistics; these are rather practical logistical actions, focusing mainly on gathering supplies and supplying the army in the field. Only in the second half of the 18th century do a number of theoretical studies appear that begin to form the foundations of logistics. American and French studies dominate in this period. The beginning of the 20th century is a true flourishing of logistical thought. Logistical principles are developed, as well as a clear division into the theory and practice of logistics (applied logistics). During the Second World War, the issues of material and technical support for combat operations became a primary issue in the planning of war operations. Increasingly, commanders of that time realized that success in battles was possible not only thanks to tactical knowledge, the work of strategists and general military staffs, but that a necessary condition was also the proper preparation and use of systems for gathering supplies and supplying troops.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka”, No. 1/2006.