Expecting a war to become nuclear within six or seven days reduced the apparent need to prepare for a long conventional conflict. Surface raiders operating far from Europe then seemed less consequential, since the wider war was expected to end before they could inflict sustained shipping losses. The same assumption offered a reason to neglect replacement shipbuilding, infrastructure, and sustained resupply. Medical facilities sufficient for peacetime and small wars could fall short in a major conflict. NATO supply depots also depended on enough trucks, coordinated collection, and replenishment. If planners assumed those depots would never need restocking, they could leave the transport problem unresolved.
Notable Point · 2:00-4:56
How nuclear short-war assumptions weakened logistical planning
Expectations of rapid nuclear escalation reduced the apparent need for replacement ships, medical capacity, and the transport needed to sustain NATO supply depots.