Tanks A Million

I know what week this is, and continue to have much to be thankful for. But, I'm actually thinking of tanks.

We often reference the Roman Empire as a very early example of logistics in action, using water transport to get to faraway places, then building road networks to reach the far corners of the realm (or the soon-to-be-realm). But, those roads and waterways were critical in reverse logistics, too, meeting the need to get men and materiel back to Rome

In those days, of course, elephants and chariots were involved, rather than tanks and Humvees. And, there was a downside to a returning army. Julius, for example, was merely a general before he was a Caesar. His relationship with the Senate was definitely built on a foundation of intimidation, and not collaboration.

This tended to make the Senate receptive to the idea of a new Caesar, often - surprise - another returning general. The populace was, perhaps, less enthusiastic about these power plays, unless the bread had run out and the circus was getting old.

But, the magnitude of the reverse logistics challenges faced by the military, especially our military, is staggering. It casts aside all we think we know about reverse logistics in the normal B2B and B2C worlds, with returned apparel and product recalls.

All this comes to mind, just a couple of weeks after Veterans' Day, in the wake of continuing drawdown in Iraq, and a not-too-distant exit from Afghanistan, with the consequent reverse logistics movement - tanks, elephants, weaponry, and the rest.

All political issues aside, this is probably as good a time as any to be thankful for those who serve or have served, whether they rode in tanks (or other vehicles), flew, sailed, marched, or supported all the others.