Failure

The Invisible Army ← Series Home Key Takeaways Logistics includes specifications: The wrong gunpowder (changed for cost reasons) caused catastrophic jamming. Logistics isn't just moving supplies—it's ensuring supplies are correct. Field conditions differ from tests: The M16 worked in controlled environments. In Vietnam's heat and humidity, without proper cleaning supplies, it failed constantly. Bureaucracy can kill: Decisions made in Washington offices—about powder, cleaning kits, training—resulted in soldiers dying when their weapons failed. Soldiers adapt, systems resist: Troops developed workarounds while the system denied problems existed. Institutional momentum fought admitting failure. The Weapon That Wouldn’t Fire In the jungles of Vietnam, the most terrifying sound for an American soldier was click. ...

The Kinetic Chain 1 Part 1: Alexander's Invisible Army 2 Part 2: Napoleon's Fatal Calculation 3 Part 3: The Railroad Revolution 4 Part 4: The Crimean Catastrophe 5 Part 5: Barbarossa and the Battle of the Gauges 6 Part 6: The Battle of the Bulge and the Tyranny of Fuel 7 Part 7: Wholesale Distribution and the American Way of 8 Part 8: The Pacific Logistics Challenge 9 Part 9: Victory Through Logistics 10 Part 10: Vietnam and the Tyranny of Terrain 11 Part 11: Giap's Bicycle Brigades 12 Part 12: The Ho Chi Minh Trail 13 Part 13: American Largesse in Vietnam 14 Part 14: The M16 Debacle and Logistics Failure 15 Part 15: The Falklands Logistics Miracle 16 Part 16: Desert Storm and the Logistics Miracle 17 Part 17: The Future of Contested Logistics ← Series Home Key Takeaways Logistics includes specifications: The wrong gunpowder (changed for cost reasons) caused catastrophic jamming. Logistics isn't just moving supplies—it's ensuring supplies are correct. Field conditions differ from tests: The M16 worked in controlled environments. In Vietnam's heat and humidity, without proper cleaning supplies, it failed constantly. Bureaucracy can kill: Decisions made in Washington offices—about powder, cleaning kits, training—resulted in soldiers dying when their weapons failed. Soldiers adapt, systems resist: Troops developed workarounds while the system denied problems existed. Institutional momentum fought admitting failure. The Weapon That Wouldn’t Fire In the jungles of Vietnam, the most terrifying sound for an American soldier was click. ...

The Paper Trap 1 The Paper Trap - Part 1: The Illusion of Control in Complex Systems 2 The Paper Trap - Part 2: The Breaking Point: When Physics Ignores the Blueprints 3 The Paper Trap - Part 3: The Liberty Ship Paradox 4 The Paper Trap - Part 4: The Human Variable: Unintended Consequences and User 'Error' 5 The Paper Trap - Part 5: From Wreckage to Wisdom: The Art of Failing Forward ← Series Home 80% Of innovations born from failure analysis ...

The Paper Trap 1 The Paper Trap - Part 1: The Illusion of Control in Complex Systems 2 The Paper Trap - Part 2: The Breaking Point: When Physics Ignores the Blueprints 3 The Paper Trap - Part 3: The Liberty Ship Paradox 4 The Paper Trap - Part 4: The Human Variable: Unintended Consequences and User 'Error' 5 The Paper Trap - Part 5: From Wreckage to Wisdom: The Art of Failing Forward ← Series Home -40°C Temperature causing steel brittleness ...