US needs attritable systems, strategic logistics analysis to win wars
By Lt. Col. Ernest “Nest” Cage
Thursday, Feb 16
Wars are won and lost well before they even start. The key to victory, if the U.S. is forced to engage in a near-peer fight, will rely on the adoption of attritable weapon systems: simplistic in design, rapidly reproducible and highly lethal. It will also depend on a sharper focus on strategic logistics planning and analysis across the defense-industrial base.
Policymakers have taken aggressive steps to shore up the defense-industrial base by harnessing lessons learned and investing in new safeguards and approaches to increase resilience. However, a fair assertion is that these efforts alone are not enough to meet the demands of a near-peer fight.
For example, at the height of World War II, even with the U.S. war production machine operating at max capacity, aircraft manufacturers struggled to meet War Department requirements, forcing carmakers to join the cause. Their valiant efforts were wrought with high learning curves and slower-than-required production rates. This was during a time when the U.S. was very much an insular nation and far less reliant on others for raw materials.
https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2023/02/16/us-needs-attritable-systems-strategic-logistics-analysis-to-win-wars/
