The Flying Column: A Concept for Tactical Nonlinear Sustainment

Abstract

As modern battlefields have become increasingly dispersed and nonlinear, intermingling of opposing forces in encounter battles jeopardizes the sustainment of maneuver forces along fixed lines of communication. During the mid-nineteenth century, French and American armies developed the flying column. This formation was a self-sustained, combined arms force that was able to operate independently of fixed lines of communication for predetermined periods of time. The purpose of this monograph was to assess the utility of the flying column concept for tactical sustainment of the modern nonlinear battlefield in a mid- to high intensity environment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 18, 1991
Accession Number
ADA233257

Entities

People

  • James M. Castle

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition
  • Anti-Tank Missiles
  • Civil War
  • Civil War (United States)
  • Combat Forces
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Logistics
  • Maintenance
  • Military History
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Rear Areas
  • Second World War
  • Task Forces
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.