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Ultimately, logistics is about combat power. Today, seaborne logistic support is a well-established and indispensable enabler for achieving sustained reach, freedom of maneuver, and operational flexibility in maritime operations—the hallmarks of any genuine blue water navy. The ability to replenish, maintain, and even repair warships at sea gives the commander the capacity to conduct protracted operations, at varying tempo and intensity, far from any home or friendly base. But there is a risk of taking such logistic support for granted, because the practicalities of supporting ships at sea, along with the associated planning disciplines, are now very much part and parcel of the everyday business of navies with global reach. Advanced technology, too, has significantly enhanced the transfer of liquid and solid stores under way and has extended the capacity of afloat maintenance facilities to the point where such activities can be conducted routinely, swiftly, and safely. Yet maritime technological advances— whether for platforms or ordnance—have also multiplied the logistic challenges for modern navies as they strive to sustain the high tempo of operations that are often required—and by no means only in times of conflict. Sustained aircraft carrier operations are a particular case in point. So it is salutary, from time to time, to stand back and consider what these challenges may mean for current and future maritime logistics capability. Indeed , for the Royal Navy in particular, this is a most apposite time to reflect, as we plan for a new generation of combatant ships and the vessels and systems that will support them into the coming decades. Unsurprisingly perhaps, one can glean very useful guidance from the lessons of history not only by examining and codifying the steps by which we acquired our current capabilities but also by identifying and focusing honestly on those questions that need to be asked (or reasked ) in defining future solutions. There is much recent history to help us better gain that perspective, not least from the Falklands and the Gulf wars, whereby much of the received wisdom can still be gleaned from those who were actually involved. But as one travels further back in time, this becomes increasingly problematic . Not only are there fewer firsthand witnesses to hand but the corporate memory has in many cases also been lost, with little documentation retained for the records. There are valuable insights to be gained from more geographically Foreword xix distant operations, too. The rigorous study of “logistics” or “supply” has rarely attracted the same attention or influence as other disciplines. It was not until the experiences of the Pacific War in 1942–45 that the vital importance of mobile logistic support afloat became self-evident. Without it, the reach, endurance, and flexibility necessary for Allied expeditionary ocean warfare, particularly where carriers were involved, would simply never been have attained. With many modern navies committed to global maritime operations, this book provides a relevant and timely insight into the many difficulties encountered by both the Royal Navy and United States Navy as each adapted to the geostrategic implications of Japan’s entry into the war in 1941. The Allies could succeed only by winning the war at and from the sea. With victory ultimately hard won, both navies then had to adjust to the corresponding rundown in the postwar environment and the Cold War that followed, not only because of contemporary financial constraints but also because of the inevitably reduced tempo and intensity of those maritime operations that still had to be conducted. At least that was the case until the Korean War broke out, when both navies once more had to gear up to high intensity operations, albeit of a very different character to those faced during World War II. But this book is more than just a study of the administrative and technical developments in supporting large numbers of ships under way, along with the opportunities and constraints that these presented. It also examines the cultural issues that influenced the profile of logistics within both navies during this period , an important topic that has attracted less attention from historians and indeed the services in the past. In taking us back to this period of rapid evolution , this book makes the case that the experience gained in both the war and the peace between 1945 and 1953 changed forever the way serious navies need to address the issues of reach, pace, sustainability, and versatility in a global maritime battle-space. An especially telling factor is the advent of new...

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