Dr. Jennifer Yip Analyzes the Evolution of Military Supply Chains and Their Sustainment

Dr. Jennifer Yip, a former Postdoctoral Fellow of the Asia Policy Program and the Clements Center for National Security, has published a new article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Military History, entitled “Military Logistics and Sustainment: Change and Continuity from the Early Modern Period to the Present.”

Since the 16th century, military supply has transformed remarkably, shifting from armies mostly relying on the land to depending on vast, industrial-era networks that allowed for supplies to be moved at unprecedented speeds across significant distances. Yet, as Dr. Yip points out, these changes were not absolute, and four themes remain constant.

First, military operations and strategy are markedly impacted by supply calculations. Second, there is a “centripetal” force associate with supply, insofar, as it draws civilians around both it and the center of violent conflict. Third, commercial actors and entrepreneurs play a significant part in providing supplies to armies. Fourth, in order to meet supply requirements, more material conditions have to be met, as constructing and maintaining supply networks requires no small number of resources. In essence, Dr. Yip writes, what becomes militarily possible in war depends on the supply and sustainment of armies.  

Read the article here.

Dr. Yip is a historian of war, strategy, and socio-economic effects of war mobilization, with a focus on Republican China. She holds a both Ph.D. and a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge. She is now Assistant Professor of History at the National University of Singapore.