American monographs and articles (both civilian and military) state that although logistical activities related to waging war have a long history, the first official definition of logistics did not appear until 1905. The author of this definition was the then-Major Chauncey B. Baker, who also discussed this issue in his work in a separate chapter titled Logistics.
C. B. Baker (1860 – 1936) was an American officer with extensive logistical knowledge and experience. He graduated from the West Point Military Academy, and his classmate was General John J. Pershing, who served as commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I (from 1917). Throughout his career, from second lieutenant to general, he held various positions in the US Army both domestically and abroad, including sanitary officer, division quartermaster, military transport expert, and chief of troop embarkation for maritime transport between the United States and France. He participated in studies on the organization of units and the functioning of US Army services. His theoretical considerations primarily concerned transport.
Logistics issues
Baker defined the term “logistics” as follows: “The branch of the art of war which relates to the transport and supply of armies is called logistics.” A logistical system (simple and transparent) should be carefully organized, as it then provides the necessary “energy” to the troops.
Solving logistical problems requires determining:
1. the outline and objective of the campaign and the needs – necessary to establish the transport capacity that will enable the delivery of material and technical resources to the designated point,
2. the assortment and quantity of supplies – depending on the personnel strength and the equipment and armament status of the units, the nature and scale of the expedition or campaign, the climate, and the season,
3. the level of stocks and the volume of deliveries – conditioned by the type and scope of operations and the area of the theater of war,
4. the method of replenishing stocks – can be carried out from depots, market purchases, or based on contracts.
Baker argued that problems of supply and transport were rarely considered in military history, even though the outcome of a war often depended on their resolution. In the feudal period, troop movements were dependent on the exploitation of local resources, which is why armies were divided into detachments to increase the area for obtaining supplies. Army movements were therefore often dictated by the necessity of meeting needs, and battles occurred when the enemy was encountered nearby.
In wars waged, the devastation of the attacked country was planned in order to destroy supply sources and limit the mobility of its army. Today, this may not always paralyze the opponent, because resources are not exploited from the theater of war area, but are sent from safely located warehouses and rear depots.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2009.