It’s an old military truism that amateurs worry about tactics, and professionals worry about logistics. The origin of the saying is attributed to remarks made by Gen Robert H. Barrow, Commandant of the Marine Corps, in 1980: “Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.”

The point is that supplying a military force is the hard part of operations, and takes  significant effort and expertise, while nearly anyone can learn the basics of tactics. The best tactics are of little use to an army that does not have the food, fuel, or ammunition to carry out the plan. The Allies won WWII because they could supply more aircraft, tanks, ammunition, and fuel to their forces, as well as keeping them fed.

Logistics is the art and science of overcoming terrain. Moving people and materiel means traversing the rivers, swamps, oceans, and mountains from the source of supply to the point where they are needed. If an army is unable to traverse the terrain, then resupplying their forces is impossible.

In the realm of cyber warfare, many make the mistake of thinking that logistics is not a significant part of the effort, but that is a mistaken view. Connectivity and bandwidth are the logistics of the cyber domain. To engage in cyber offense or defense, one must get to the portion of the network where the fight is taking place. The best cyber warriors in the world are of no use if they cannot connect to the network they are tasked with attacking or defending. Connectivity to the area of conflict, and sufficient bandwidth to deliver the intended payload, is essential to succeeding in cyber war.

By the same token, denying one’s adversary connectivity to resources that one wishes to attack or defend is critical to success. In physical warfare, interdicting an enemy’s supply lines is a key objective in most campaigns. If the enemy cannot resupply their forces, they will eventually be worn down and defeated just as the Germans were at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43. The German army was an excellent fighting force, but without food, fuel, and munitions they were doomed.

So when considering cyber warfare, remember that connectivity and bandwidth are not incidental considerations–they are what the professionals are worried about.