Operational Sustainment, Lines of Communication and the Conduct of Operations : 9781288299744 : 01 Nov 2012 : This study examines the influence of operational sustainment, which includes lines of communication, on the conduct of major operations. After a definition of terms, two historical examples are analyzed, the impact of time and space on the conduct of operations - which includes sustainment - is examined, changes since the historical examples are placed in historical perspective, and conclusions and implications drawn. The two historical examples used are MacArthur's return to the Philippines and Slim's return to Burma. In both cases, operations were conducted at the terminus of extended strategic and operational lines of communication. In addition, those lines were restricted by the nature of the geography over which their operations unfolded. In MacArthur's case, the Pacific Ocean became his highway, while in Slim's case, he was forced to reduce sustainment to the minimum due