It's a military truism that amateurs talk strategy while professionals study logistics. Two engaging new World War II histories remind us why logistics matter more. In fact, in wartime, logistics eats strategy for lunch.

One of the most constant staples of science fiction is its view of the automated world of the future. Whether it was the giants of the genre (H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Jules Verne), animated movies or the Tomorrowland section at the Disney properties, all envisioned a world where manual labor was largely replaced by intelligent machines rapidly performing dull, repetitive tasks.

The European Commission has explained why its members felt that EU merger regulations forced the body to block the proposed acquisition of TNT Express by UPS.

The American Chemistry Council issued new research documenting how a lack of freight rail competition is costing U.S. chemical companies billions of dollars in excess shipping costs each year. Showing shipping rates that often exceed 300 percent of the revenue-to-variable cost (RVC) ratio, the ACC study estimates that if the $3.9bn premium on chemical shipments were reduced, the chemical sector could create up to 25,000 additional American jobs, with $1.5bn in new wages, and $6.8bn in new economic output.

Disaggregating forecasts by product and market attributes creates powerful synergies between demand and supply planning.

The National Retail Federation released its 2013 economic forecast, projecting retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 3.4 percent*, slightly less than the preliminary 4.2 percent growth seen in 2012. The subdued forecast comes on the heels of a holiday season that went head-to-head with Washington's political wrangling over fiscal concerns, shifting consumers' spending plans downward. In the end, holiday sales in 2012 grew 3.0 percent.

The notion of a "chief procurement officer" isn't new. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has had one since 1998, and the title can be found in any number of other government agencies and branches of the military. Private companies have embraced it as well, although the position hasn't enjoyed a solid footing in most C-suites for more than a decade or so. Maybe it was the success of companies like Apple, with its mastery of supply management, that convinced top executives of the need to elevate procurement to the highest levels of the organization.