The glass backbone: Why the Army's logistics will break in the next war

# Summary The U.S. Army's logistics infrastructure, optimized over two decades for uncontested supply lines and static bases, is ill-equipped for large-scale peer conflict where supply lines will face persistent attack. Historical failures like Operation Barbarossa demonstrate that operational success depends on logistical sustainability, not just combat power, and the Army risks repeating these mistakes by assuming supply will keep pace with rapid maneuver forces. Unlike past conflicts in the Middle East where the U.S. enjoyed uncontested build-up time and air superiority, a future peer war will demand a resilient logistical backbone capable of functioning under enemy interdiction.