3 ms·

"Line vs staff" is a fundamentally bankrupt concept, as much so as "combat vs logistics". Wars are won or lost on logistics, as Russia recently discovered. Mon

by ncmncm 5y ago

"Line vs staff" is a fundamentally bankrupt concept, as much so as "combat vs logistics". Wars are won or lost on logistics, as Russia recently discovered. Money wasted in a "profit center" has exactly the effect on bottom line as the same waste in a "cost center", and failure of a "cost center" can have just as large an effect on your business as in a "profit center". The only meaningful distinction is that the return on investment in a "cost center" is gated by the success of "profit centers". But, woe betide if you find yourself in a cost center at a company run by MBAs. Get yourself to a profit center, or to a better-run, less MBA-saddled company.

dvtrn 5y ago
as much so as "combat vs logistics". First time I've ever heard these two things talked about as a matter of "this versus that" and not "combat and logistics". I'd hate to be a CO or NCO under a General who looked at the two as somehow adversarial or mutually exclusive in terms of planning and resourcing. Yours is quite an interesting analogy, here.
- Spooky23 5y ago
  You’re used to reading about western militaries. Look at the Ukraine War… Russia clearly completely ignored logistics and failed in their attempt at a “modern” war and quickly degraded to a WW1 style artillery duel. And yes, being a NCO or field officer in the Russian army is miserable.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  > First time I've ever heard these two things talked about as a matter of "this versus that" and not "combat and logistics". Not sure if you’re being sarcastic? Or haven’t read much about the military and are assuming? Combat vs combat support vs combat service support (logistics) is a very common and very significant distinction to make and usually matters a lot for a great many things. Has a logistics branch officer ever led a major Army? We had an artillery officer in the UK and even that was a talking point at the time.

by ncmncm 5y ago

dvtrn 5y ago

as much so as "combat vs logistics". First time I've ever heard these two things talked about as a matter of "this versus that" and not "combat and logistics". I'd hate to be a CO or NCO under a General who looked at the two as somehow adversarial or mutually exclusive in terms of planning and resourcing. Yours is quite an interesting analogy, here.

Spooky23 5y ago
You’re used to reading about western militaries. Look at the Ukraine War… Russia clearly completely ignored logistics and failed in their attempt at a “modern” war and quickly degraded to a WW1 style artillery duel. And yes, being a NCO or field officer in the Russian army is miserable.
chrisseaton 5y ago
> First time I've ever heard these two things talked about as a matter of "this versus that" and not "combat and logistics". Not sure if you’re being sarcastic? Or haven’t read much about the military and are assuming? Combat vs combat support vs combat service support (logistics) is a very common and very significant distinction to make and usually matters a lot for a great many things. Has a logistics branch officer ever led a major Army? We had an artillery officer in the UK and even that was a talking point at the time.