The Loss of Strength Gradient (LSG) is a military concept devised by
Kenneth E. Boulding in his 1962 book ''Conflict and Defense: A General Theory''. He argued that the amount of a nation's
military power that could be brought to bear in any part of the world depended on geographic distance. The Loss of Strength Gradient demonstrated graphically that, the farther away the target of aggression, the less strength could be made available. It also showed how this loss of strength could be ameliorated by forward positions.
Decreasing relevance
Boulding also argued that the Loss of Strength Gradient was becoming less relevant in modern warfare due to easier transportation and the rise of strategic
air
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
and
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocke ...
power. He claimed that a 20th-century "
military revolution" allowed for a "substantial diminution in the cost of transportation of organized violence of all kinds, especially of organized armed forces", as well as "an enormous increase in the range of the deadly projectile."
On the other hand, another scholar contended that the Loss of Strength Gradient continues to be relevant, and if there has been a reduction in the concept's significance, it was only temporary, as transportation is not becoming permanently easy, and air power is not permanently replacing the need for forward deployed ground forces.
See also
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Blue-water navy
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Culminating point
The culminating point in military strategy is the point at which a military force is no longer able to perform its operations.
On the offensive, the culminating point marks the time when the attacking force can no longer continue its advance, ...
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Defence in depth
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Expeditionary warfare
Expeditionary warfare is a military invasion of a foreign territory, especially away from established bases. Expeditionary forces were in part the antecedent of the modern concept of rapid deployment forces. Traditionally, expeditionary forces w ...
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Power projection
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Strategic depth
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loss Of Strength Gradient
Military doctrines
Military logistics
Military geography