> *containers that could be split up and shipped in parts then re-assembled...* There are flat-pack containers, but they don't have the robustness or water-tig

> *containers that could be split up and shipped in parts then re-assembled...* There are flat-pack containers, but they don't have the robustness or water-tightness of conventionally-built containers. People abuse container working limits something awful to squeeze pennies, so the flat-pack version will end up net costing more. If the US Navy designed a nuclear-powered container ship class for rapid ultra-heavy-lift capacity, like enough to haul over an entire light (400,000) army group in one pass, then that's probably around 200, maybe 300 ships? The fastest sealift in US Navy inventory is 33 kts, so a nuclear-powered one with no fuel concerns could probably put on another 30% to that easily, so around 40 kts; much faster and they'll start outrunning most naval escorts. Not every warfighting artifact fits in a container of course, but the military has the luxury to be able to define their own extensions to the ISO standard (and they have, with the bicon/tricon/etc. standards). There are about 5,300 container ships in the world, so at the high end this would be about 5% of world capacity. Maersk operates a fleet of around 700, so it isn't too outrageous, if the US wants massive force projection. Such a fleet could step in to preserve national-security-critical supply chains. Coffee IMHO, is not national-security-critical, heretical as that may be. For the record, I'm against the US projecting force around the world. It's not worth it IMHO, but like most people on the outside of the US looking in, I'm outvoted. On a strictly we-must-be-the-hyperpower-at-any-cost basis however, it makes sense for such a posture to invest heavily into that kind of ultra-fast, ultra-heavy-lift logistics capacity at that kind of scale. I'm just glad that the kind of leadership glamour disease that has befallen so many US corporations has seeped into its military, and they'll never believe in the benefits of unglamorous logistics and infrastructure until it is too late to fund.