Is the US already losing to China on innovation, logistics and rapid resupply?

It has been said that "An Army Marches on its Stomach." True enough.

But even the task of quickly and properly feeding hundreds of thousands of military personnel to keep them battle ready, comes down to some form of logistics, innovation and speed.

The recent "controversy" involving USS Abraham Lincoln during its 250-plus day deployment serves as a timely example of that truth.

To be sure, many of the accusations made regarding the lack of food and low morale among the sailors were exaggerated by some commentators who harbor a strong dislike of President Donald Trump and were seeking to use the long deployment as a way to embarrass the president and his administration.

That acknowledged, there also is an element of "Your side, my side and the truth somewhere in the middle" associated with the resupply and morale issue connected with USS Abraham Lincoln.

CENTCOM COMMANDER TOUTS USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN MENTAL HEALTH RECORD AFTER MORE THAN 260 DAYS WITHOUT PORT CALL Logistics, innovation and rapid resupply do matter.

Be it food, basic staples, weapons systems, or medical supplies.

All politics aside, at the very least, the resupply issue surrounding USS Abraham Lincoln — no matter the actual severity — can serve as a very valuable lesson going forward.

"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves," — a phrase often attributed to Benjamin Franklin — most especially proves true with our military.

If the logistics chain breaks or dramatically slows down at the bottom, the warfighting — and winning — capability at the top will suffer… or fail.

AMERICA FACES A CRISIS IN OUR MILITARY ARSENAL THAT TRUMP IS RACING TO FIX What constitutes a "penny" for our military? Meaning, what is something which may seem so insignificant and tiny that it never enters the mind of the civilian population — or worse, our "decision makers" — but could prove a game changer for the military if either exponentially innovated and put into action, or because it aged out, failed or was made irrelevant by the technology implemented by our adversaries? A recent conversation with a general opened my eyes to just one such "penny" that is off virtually everyone's radar screen.

That being a rivet.

The simple rivet.

Ironically, about the same size as the penny we need to "watch" if we hope to grow our wealth.