Compass Points - Shot Heard 'Round the World

Semiquincentennial Celebration

Compass Points - Shot Heard 'Round the World

Semiquincentennial Celebration

April 22, 2025

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It was a logistics battle.

This month the United States celebrates the semiquincentennial of a famous logistics battle.

That famous battle, 250 years ago this month, is not often called a logistics battle; instead, it is often called, "the shot heard 'round the world."

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Two and a half centuries ago, a small band of minutemen answered the call of freedom in the legendary Battles of Lexington and Concord, an epic tale of American strength and the first major armed conflict of the Revolutionary War. We honor the memories, remember the sacrifices, and summon the courage of every hero of liberty who gallantly shed his blood for the cause of independence on April 19, 1775.

--White House Proclamation, April 17, 2025

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Why did the British march out from the safety of Boston? The British hoped to gain an advantage in the conflict that was coming by marching out to Lexington and Concord in advance and confiscating their military logistics stockpiles. The gun powder, cannons and shot stored at Lexington and Concord gave the rebel colonists military muscle. Robust military logistics gives a fighting force robust military muscle. The British wanted to diminish the military muscle by stealing the military stockpiles.

As the British redcoats advanced, the American Minute Men swarmed in to block them.

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As 400 daring militiamen descended down Punkatasset Hill toward the North Bridge, the startled British opened fire, killing 49 Americans, including Captain Davis. “Fire, fellow soldiers, for God’s sake, fire!” shouted Major John Buttrick of the Concord militia at the sound of the discharging muskets — sending the British running back to Boston in retreat in a resounding victory for Colonial forces. For the next 12 miles, the patriots relentlessly pursued the Redcoats, ambushing them from behind trees, walls, and other cover. As one British soldier is said to have recalled, the Americans “fought like bears, and I would as soon storm hell as fight them again.”

--White House Proclamation, April 17, 2025

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The colonists 250 years ago had crucial military supplies stockpiled at Lexington and Concord.

Today, the Marine Corps needs more military supplies stockpiled in the Pacific and around the world.

Back in November 2024 Compass Points recommended the US military begin stockpiling on land crucial military weapons, ammunition, supplies, and equipment in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Now, that is just what the Navy is doing.

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The Department of the Navy is looking to lease a climate- controlled facility between 19,000 and 33,000 square meters near Subic Bay and Clark for the storage of equipment in the Philippines by 2026 under a ten-year-long lease which could mark the largest prepositioning effort to date between Washington and Manila since 1992.

According to solicitation documents on the proposed lease, this new facility would be utilized for “storage and maintenance of vehicles and vehicle equipment.” While the Navy specified its preference for a 33,022 square meter facility, the minimum requirements encompass 19,979 square meters. Both projections dwarf a previously leased 5,300 square meter warehouse at Naval Support Depot in Subic Bay, which is set to support U.S. Marine Corps staging efforts in the Philippines and throughout the region.

-- USNI News

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By 1775 the American colonists knew that a fight was coming. And they knew they would need military logistics stockpiles.

Today, the Marine Corps needs to muscle up its logistic support. The global maritime prepositioning fleet must be restored along with additional land based logistic supply points.

Since long before 1775, both citizens and soldiers have understood that the best way to preserve the peace is to prepare for war. It is time to put that understanding into action. It is time to restore and enhance the global, Marine, combined arms, 9-1-1 crisis response force. That global force of Marines must be able to count on robust logistics supplies.

Compass Points salutes the courage of all those who fought at Lexington and Concord 250 years ago, and also salutes the US Navy for building logistics supply points for Marines in the Philippines.

Preserving the peace requires building up for war.

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The White House - 04/17/2025

A Proclamation on

The 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/250th-anniversary-of-the-battles-of-lexington-and-concord/

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USNI News - 04/21/2025

U.S. Navy Seeks Large Storage Facility in the Philippines by 2026

By Aaron-Matthew Lariosa

https://news.usni.org/2025/04/21/u-s-navy-seeks-large-storage-facility-in-the-philippines-by-2026

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Compass Points – The Malinta Project

Logistics Leverage in the Pacific

November 2, 2024

Is there a new program to get Marines the supplies and equipment they need to fight and win in the Pacific? There should be.

https://marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com/p/compass-points-the-malinta-project