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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.6210973
EAN num: 9781591148838
ISBN number: 1591148839
Label: US Naval Institute Press
Manufacturer: US Naval Institute Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 355
Printing Date: 2005-08
Publishing house: US Naval Institute Press
Sale Popularity Level: 475046
Studio: US Naval Institute Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In the forty-five years since the last major study of defense logistics was published, a revolutionary change in information technology and defense strategy has swept the field and mandated a new understanding of the objectives and principles of military logistics. This comprehensive work addresses all aspects of the subject. Written by a renowned defense logistics expert, it covers force projection, force sustainment, and minimizing the logistics 'footprint' in battle spaces. Gen. William Tuttle examines five principles that are employed to assess the effectiveness of the processes and identifies shortfalls and remedies. He also illuminates the major influences of culture and politics on defense logistics and proposes ways to minimize their adverse impact on combat readiness.
This timely volume is certain to become a hallmark in the field of defense logistics for those currently coping with the challenges and for logisticians aspiring to lead, as well as for those involved in the complexities of planning and strategy. This book is published in cooperation with the Association of the United States Army.
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Rated by buyers -
I'm a speculator and so I read this book to get a better understanding of logistical issues that might affect commercial business. I define logistics broadly as the science of managing or using contextual constraints to move people, resources, or information through to end users in an efficient, effective, and ecological way that emancipates the client's ability to survive and thrive. If you have a similar vision of logistics you'll find much in this book to benefit from. Although specifically written for the military logistician, there is much here for the creative reader, since General Tuttle talks about not only how the present system works but how it could be improved. Logistics is really a functional expression of system science; you don't have to be a logistical engineer or transportation and logistical professional to find applications to other forms of system management.
For the civilian taxpayer, General Tuttle supplies a better view of the unique problems the military runs into in trying to acquire, project, and sustain the "stuff" needed for military operations. You get a better appreciation of how incredibly difficult it must be to drop a unit half a world away in a hostile environment and then support and supply it. Failure would have grave consequences not only for the troops and the mission but also for wider policy. Logistical sucess sends a powerful message that other would be opponents may not like but must respect. A valuable lesson for any private business!
The military has some unique logistical features which private industry does not:
* Absolute necessity to procure and deliver. You can't be sort of right.
* Support of legacy systems that may be 20, 30, or 50 years old.
* Slow adjustments to changes easily acquired and used commercially like hand held computers and RFID tags. (The author mentions a 2003 GAO report which I've read, mentioning the finding that the Navy recognizes it hasn't met supply goals in over 20 years because of data collection processes are dated, as well as the data.)
* Large turnover in logistical personnel.
* Problems associated with the Byzantine government procurement process.
* Lack of productivity measures. Outside of working capital funded organizations, few defenses activities charge costs of their people to their work projects. There is no way to tell how productive these activities are or could be.
These are just a few of the limits mentioned. These alone would render most commercial organizations in the trash heap. The fact that military logisticians can overcome them and still get the job done under conditions of extreme stress would make any one with military logistics background a real asset to a commercial organization.
Although the author mentions many important points I found two of special note. One is the emphasis on program management which essentially manages through constraints, the second is the idea of continually shared information used to overcome or utilize constraints as feedback and direction. Both concepts are valuable no matter what your management field. The book is highly readable without losing even someone with only basic logistics knowledge. The only thing that would have been of help would be the addition of more diagrams to better introduce relationships and "preposition" them in the readers mind. But this is a minor pedagogical point. The book has too much in it to ignore if you are a civilian in business. If you are in military logistics you should have already stopped reading and ordered this book!
Rated by buyers -
It is said that amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.
General Tuttle is by no mens an amateur. As the head of the Army Materiel Command, he had 100,000 people working for him to supply the worldwide needs of the Army. ==In this book he discusses every aspect of logistics support for the Army of yesterday and tomorrow. This includes equipment, many of it specialized such as transport ships that can conveniently carry armored vehicles at a high speed. These are not the same requirements as that of the commercial market. But it also includes using commercial equipment or companies when possible so that cost advantages can be obtained.
Each major area of logistics is examined from the timely delivery of mail from home to evacuating casualties from the battlefield. The books examines the effect of the information explosion and looks into new technologies that are coming into being.
This is the very first major book to be published in forty years or so. It will become the definitive book on logistics for the forseeable future.
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