The opening model distinguishes the industrial source of supplies from theater-level and forward hubs. The difficult final leg depends on where the fleet is operating and how far it is from the forward base. This distinction underpins the comparison between British and American replenishment plans. It also explains why counting support ships without mapping the route from factory to fighting fleet can give a misleading picture of logistical strength.
Chapter · 2:49-4:50
Logistics as a hub-and-spoke system
Global naval logistics runs from industrial centers through theater and forward hubs to the fleet.