Logistics: Ammunition, Fuel, Food, and Replacement Troops

Armies do not stop fighting only when their soldiers are defeated. They stop when ammunition, fuel, spare parts, food, medicine, or replacement personnel no longer arrive. This episode examines the logistical system hidden behind every UNSC campaign. Warships consume missiles, MAC ammunition, reactor resources, propellant, repair components, and trained crews. Ground formations need rifle ammunition, vehicle parts, medical supplies, batteries, food, water, and constant transportation between orbit and the battlefield. Slipspace reduces interstellar travel time but does not eliminate distance, and Covenant attacks can destroy depots, convoys, shipyards, or entire production worlds without warning. Every colony lost also means fewer workers, factories, recruits, and sources of raw material. By the later years of the Human-Covenant War, humanity is not simply losing battles; it is losing the economic depth required to replace what those battles consume. Logistics explains why survival becomes harder even when the UNSC wins.