Pure Logistics

work by Thorpe

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July 13, 2026

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"Pure Logistics" by Cyrus Thorpe, published in 1917, argued that logistics should be considered the third crucial element in warfare, alongside strategy and tactics. Thorpe proposed that logistics encompasses all human and material resources necessary for war, extending beyond traditional supply and transportation to include war finance, shipbuilding, and munitions manufacturing. This broadened view positioned logistics as a vital component of war economics.12

Logistics, in its broader sense, refers to the organized movement and management of materials. While originating in military contexts, the term now applies to business activities, encompassing the planning, implementation, and control of the efficient flow and storage of goods and services to meet customer requirements.3

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Fundamentals
…Colonel Cyrus Thorpe, published his Pure Logistics in 1917, arguing that the logical function of logistics, as the third member of the strategy–tactics–logistics trinity, was to provide all the means, human and material, for the conduct of war, including not merely the traditional functions of supply and transportation but also…
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…Colonel Cyrus Thorpe, published his Pure Logistics in 1917, arguing that the logical function of logistics, as the third member of the strategy–tactics–logistics trinity, was to provide all the means, human and material, for the conduct of war, including not merely the traditional functions of supply and transportation but also…
Read More