{"id":27492,"date":"2020-06-30T10:22:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T10:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/06\/30\/military-sealift-is-americas-achilles-heel\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:31:33","slug":"military-sealift-is-americas-achilles-heel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/06\/30\/military-sealift-is-americas-achilles-heel\/","title":{"rendered":"Military sealift is America\u2019s Achilles\u2019 heel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cYou will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.\u201d <\/i>– Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since our founding, America has been a maritime nation. Trade across the vast ocean expanses to Europe and Asia has defined our economic development and driven our national security strategies. Over two hundred years ago, the original six frigates of the United States Navy were constructed to protect American commerce from attacks by pirates in the Mediterranean. Since then, a powerful Navy, capable of protecting global commerce and projecting power around the globe, has become the cornerstone of our national defense. This strategy has also meant fighting the vast majority of the nation\u2019s armed conflict far from our shores, protecting the homeland from the terrible destruction that was a defining characteristic of war in the 20th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reasoning that led George Washington to approve those first six frigates remains true today \u2014 American commerce and diplomacy must be supported by a military capable of global power projection to maintain international order, deter conflict, and, if necessary, defeat hostile powers. To be a credible deterrent, American forces must be engaged around the globe and be able to sustain those efforts, during peace or war, far from our shores. While the Department of Defense is investing heavily in technology to compete in a new era of great power competition, it has given short shrift to its ability to transport and sustain forces. Our continued lack of investment in logistics will reduce the effectiveness of our maritime forces in combat but, more worrying, is the debilitating effect it will have on our land forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\t