How did the US become a superpower after WW2?

Logistics was one of the reasons, and it's still working today.

According to “How US soldiers were fed in the US?,” the US built an enormous logistics system to deliver food (in addition to ammunition and other supplies) to feed its millions (16 million at its peak) of soldiers.

Consisting of airplanes, railways, and trucks, the system worked successfully in maintaining the morale and the advantage of US soldiers on the battlefield and led to its victory.

After the war, in my opinion, the system remained and became the backbone of the US in terms of its (cold) war efforts and the business and manufacturing flexibility later called “globalization.”

Many other less-developed countries might have benefitted from the logistics system, but the US is still the major beneficiary of outsourcing, influence, and power projection.

China might have wanted to replicate the feat through its “one-belt, one-road” initiative; however, the idea was not tested by emergent, common needs (such as war), and the potential participants were motivated by their respective interests.

The system could be imitated technically, but the Chinese version lacks common interest other than the intangible “economic growth,” which China has dominated in its own right.

On the other hand, the US version has its own problem. Although its military logistics system is still mighty, the lacking of common interest in some areas is also plaguing its ability to compete with newly developed countries, such as China, in the commercial sense.

For now, the US is still the most powerful country by inheriting its legacy from World War II, and the free world is somehow safe thanks to the system. It’s not a definite advantage, but it’s still hard to surpass in the near future if there’s no next World War.

For now, the US is still the most powerful country by inheriting its legacy from World War II, and the free world is somehow safe thanks to the system. It’s not a definite advantage, but it’s still hard to surpass in the near future if there’s no next World War.