Situation
The fight for independence was nearly lost, not because of battlefield failure, but because the system behind the army was fragile.
Response
Built domestic manufacturing capacity.
Report on Manufactures (1791)
Situation
Industrial capacity and logistics were as decisive as military strategy: the ability to produce equipment, move it across continents, and sustain operations determined outcomes.
Response
Infrastructure was made part of national defense.
Federal Aid Highway Act (1956)
Situation
Market mechanisms no longer guarantee access to inputs. Supply chains have become potential points of leverage over the systems that sustain economic and military capacity.
Response