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Anonymous
Supply Chain Management/Wartime Logistics 2015-12-23 20:49:45 Post No. 28296687
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Supply Chain Management/Wartime Logistics 2015-12-23 20:49:45 Post No. 28296687
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A lot of people here will talk on how they'd equip a force, how they'd train soldiers, and what piece of equipment is best for a given task, but I feel like /k/ very rarely discusses what I consider the most important aspect of any fighting force: Logistics and Supply. After all, all the fancy equipment in the world and training and experience of a thousand battles counts for nil if you can't keep a force supplied with fuel, food, and ammo for an extended period of time.
So instead of asking how you'd put together a militia or force for operating in a specific theater of war, I'm going to ask what steps would /k/ take to simplify the task of resupplying a small force, say roughly a brigade of 3,000 soldiers stationed within a small area far away from local supply chains. Their task is to hold a small, strategically important evacuated village located on a mostly flat, wooded area roughly 8 sq. KM in size from an unknown force, for an unknown length of time. No support from outside forces will be provided (So no air force can be called in, nor additional brigades or divisions.). The defending brigade will receive supplies from two trucks or equivalent delivery of 4000 kg, dispatched from an unknown location, every week -- 4000 kg is the maximum weight of any single weekly supply trip. Supplies must be requisitioned a month in advance, so plan accordingly on what you'll need to keep on hand. Replacement soldiers can be requisitioned as well, and count against the weight limit for supplies.
What equipment would you arm the soldiers with to create the best balance between upkeep and resupply vs fighting effectiveness? Keep in mind cost of supplies, weight limits, and the amount of time equipment can remain in fighting condition in the field before needing repairs or replacements. Attempt to keep the resupply requests as light as possible.
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>>28296687
That's why Russia wins everytime.
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>>28296687
wouldnt the opfor just surround the village? You need to give a rough estimate as to the enemy disposition otherwise nothing can be planned.
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>>28296687
That's a really good question, but honestly more time and thought than I'm willing to put into a 4chan post right now, but I'll save it and look at it another time.
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>>28296687
People don't like to think of it because they realize without a steady supply route fighting the ISIS invasion with their bug out bag is a fever dream
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How much does a week's worth of food for 3000 people weigh? Will the parameters even cover that?
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>>28298310
Way too much for the weekly supply limit. Average MRE is 650 grams, and provides roughly 1250 calories. Even doing one per day, which shouldn't be recommended for anyone doing intense labor and fighting, you'd cap out the supply truck at half a week or so, making it impossible to supply everyone with food, let alone munitions.
Only way to feasibly handle the situation would be to ignore food weight, which sort of makes the whole scenario invalid.
>>28297611
Good point, pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless and all that. I would suggest considering multiple situations and forces: Start planning for a force of similar size (3000 people), and plan for a combined arms assault using either outdated equipment (Cold war era artillery, a few tanks, etc) and modernized equipment (vs Abrams/T-90s/Challengers in small numbers, modern artillery, possible air support). Part of this conflict will be sort of impossible, as one cannot continue to receive supplies if you can't maintain clear supply lines, but as it's just a thought exercise in how a mostly isolated brigade can reduce supply consumption, it doesn't matter all that much.
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>>28296687
Fill village with mines, IEDs, withdraw all but 50-100 of the most experienced troops equipped with anti tank weapons, scoped rifles, and some SAMs, to harass enemy forces.
Rest of troops get sent somewhere they can actually be sustained, if kept here they will starve/become ineffective and surrender.
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Honestly I don't know crap about logistics. I feel like you'd need to experience that kind of combat before you know what to best equip people, how much you need, and how much you can actually supply
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Are there any books on this subject? OP's post makes me curious.
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>>28301667
"Supplying War", Martin van Creveld
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>>28301805
Thanks anon, I'll check it out.
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>>28301805
Related to this with the given parameters you're going to have to go Wallenstein and start jacking the local peasantry's food. Issue IOUs from whatever state is supporting you, hope the locals have had similar repaid before, and if not, your NCOs are going to have to start learning to take care of goats
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>>28301865
I like that that illustrates just how much food is needed by an army to continue functioning. Several metric tons still isn't enough to keep a single brigade fed for a week. That's saying something.
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>>28301927
Yeah, and God help you if you need POL for tracks. I think no one thinks about food in part because it's a trivial portion of the logistical burden of a modern mechanised force. Once you add POL, parts, ammo, you're fucked. The amazing thing about the American military is that they're so goddamn good at logistics that everyone has forgotten how insane it is that they're able to maintain huge mechanised formations on the other side of the planet more or less indefinitely
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