# Line of communication

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{{short description|Route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base}}
{{Other uses|Lines of Communication (disambiguation){{!}}Lines of Communication}}
[[File:Lci-convoy.jpg|thumb|Convoy of ships supporting [Allied forces](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II) in the [invasion of Normandy](/source/invasion_of_Normandy) in June 1944 during the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II).]]
A '''line of communication''' (or '''communications''') is the route that connects an operating [military unit](/source/military_unit) with its [supply base](/source/materiel).

Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communication is vital for any military force to continue to operate effectively. Prior to the advent of the use of the [telegraph](/source/telegraph) and [radio](/source/radio) in warfare, lines of communication were also the routes used by [dispatch rider](/source/dispatch_rider)s on horseback and runners to convey and deliver orders and battle updates to and from unit commanders and headquarters. Thus, a unit whose lines of communication were compromised was vulnerable to becoming isolated and destroyed, as the means for requesting reinforcements and resupply is lost. The standard military abbreviation is LOC. There is also SLOC for [Sea Line of Communication](/source/Sea_Lines_of_Communication), '''GLOC''' for '''Ground Line of Communication''', or '''ALOC''' for '''Air Line of Communication'''.

The [interdiction](/source/interdiction) of supplies and reinforcements to units closer to the front lines is therefore an important strategic goal for opposing forces. Some notable examples:
* The [siege of Vicksburg](/source/siege_of_Vicksburg) in the American Civil War, in which [Ulysses S. Grant](/source/Ulysses_S._Grant) encircled the city, leading to its eventual surrender in July 1863
* The [Battle of France](/source/Battle_of_France) in World War II, in which the Germans cut off the French and British armies in Belgium (although the [Dunkirk evacuation](/source/Dunkirk_evacuation) rescued over 330,000 of them)
* The encirclement of [German 6th Army](/source/6th_Army_(Wehrmacht)) in the [Battle of Stalingrad](/source/Battle_of_Stalingrad) in World War II
* The United States' attacks on the [Ho Chi Minh trail](/source/Ho_Chi_Minh_trail) during the [Vietnam War](/source/Vietnam_War)

==See also==

=== Logistics in general ===
*[Aerial refueling](/source/Aerial_refueling)
*[Airlift](/source/Airlift)
*[Army engineering maintenance](/source/Army_engineering_maintenance)
*[Expeditionary maneuver warfare](/source/Expeditionary_maneuver_warfare)
*[Integrated logistics support](/source/Integrated_logistics_support)
*[Logistician](/source/Logistician)
*[Logistics Officer](/source/Logistics_Officer)
*[Main supply route](/source/Main_supply_route)
*[Military logistics](/source/Military_logistics)
*[Military supply chain management](/source/Military_supply_chain_management)
*[NATO Stock Number](/source/NATO_Stock_Number)
*[Performance-based logistics](/source/Performance-based_logistics)
*[Seabasing](/source/Seabasing)
*[Sealift](/source/Sealift)
*[Train (military)](/source/Train_(military))
*[Underway replenishment](/source/Underway_replenishment)

=== Specific logistics operations ===
*[Battle of Pusan Perimeter logistics](/source/Battle_of_Pusan_Perimeter_logistics)
*[British logistics in the Falklands War](/source/British_logistics_in_the_Falklands_War)
*[British logistics in the Second Boer War](/source/British_logistics_in_the_Second_Boer_War)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military''. [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). 2002.

Category:Military strategy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Line of communication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_communication) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_of_communication?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.