Armed Conflict - The Lessons of Modern Warfare

Informationen zum Autor U.S. Army officer Brian Steed holds a master’s degree in international relations from Vermont College of Norwich University. Armed Conflict is his first book. Captain Steed’s previous assignments include duty with the OPFOR at the National Training Center. He is currently stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Klappentext What challenges will America face in armed conflicts of the future and how will we prepare for them? National security depends upon the ability of the military to "predict” the future nature of war. Despite the difficulty in making such predictions! one must remember: nation states and other countries will continue to use armed conflict as a means to further their aims! and these aims will! at times! run contrary to American interests. As a result! the United States will continue to be confronted with armed conflict in the days and years ahead. A military theorist and experienced armor officer! Brian Steed provides insights into the future of armed conflict by focusing on what has occurred in the past-not because the past repeats itself! but because it reveals timeless principles of warfare. Five battles! one each in Korea! Vietnam! the Falklands! the Persian Gulf! and Somalia are analyzed historically! geographically! and strategically. Steed's analysis of these engagements clearly demonstrates that the key to victory on the battlefields of the future is the small unit. In refreshing layman's prose! the author focuses on why the events occurred as they did! and explores the significance of each battle in terms of its political and military ramifications. He concludes with lessons learned that will greatly benefit future American ground combat commanders. Armed Conflict informs the reader about the historical trends of combat operations and the realities of war-today and into the future. It will also serve to guide a new generation of military and civilian leaders as they prepare to face the inevitable conflicts in the new century. Leseprobe This chapter provides the framework that demonstrates the alteration in the very nature of ground conflict. This is to say that the context in which any ground conflict may be conducted is significantly different from such conflicts fought in the pre-World War II era--the era of industrial-age warfare. First, to explain the evolution in warfare: During the period 1795-1945, the world witnessed a series of struggles among the great powers. Most of these wars were fought with alliances and coalitions and covered several regions of the globe. This period culminated in two major world wars. The last two wars clearly demonstrated the concept of total war, in which a nation invests all of its resources to achieve its war aims. In the early part of this period, during the Napoleonic era, the world saw the growth of the army from a relatively limited structure of wealthy nobles and their retainers to one of large, conscripted land forces numbering in the millions. The combination of total war and massive armies required long, drawn-out struggles that sought to exhaust the abilities and assets of the opposing nation. These three concepts-- total war between nation-states, massive armies, and protracted conflict--have become, for the current time and into the foreseeable future, less likely than anytime in the post-World War II era. In many respects this is not a new phenomenon. Immediately following World War II, the combination of total war, massive armies, and protracted conflict between two rela- tive peer nations was just as unlikely as it is today; however, the Cold War struggle clouded our ability to see the change in strategic affairs with clarity. The end of the Cold War further magnified the changes already taking place. The use of military force extends from support of domestic disas...

Product details

• Authors: Brian Steed
• Publisher: Presidio Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2003
• EAN: 9780891418030
• ISBN: 978-0-89141-803-0
• No. of pages: 304
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 216 mm x 13 mm
• Subject: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous