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The Language of the Military Profession. War. “A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties.” American Heritage Dictionary. War.
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War . . . “A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties.” American Heritage Dictionary
War . . . “. . . is an organized and often prolonged conflict that is carried out by states or non-state actors. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, social disruption and economic destruction. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political communities, and therefore is defined as a form of political violence or intervention. The set of techniques used by a group to carry out war is known as warfare. An absence of war is usually called peace. “While some scholars see warfare as an inescapable and integral aspect of human nature, others argue that it is only inevitable under certain socio-cultural or ecological circumstances . . .” Wikipedia
“International Terrorism”18 U.S. Code § 2331 - Definitions • The term “international terrorism” means activities that • involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; • appear to be intended • to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; • to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or • to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping;
Threads of Continuity • Audiences • (Practitioners) • Academic community • History “Buffs” • Professional Soldiers
Levels of Military Operations • Strategic • Operational • Tactical
Strategy (Strategic) Strategy is the level of war at which a nation or group of nations determines national or alliance security objectives and develops and uses national resources to accomplish those objectives.
Operations (Operational) Operations involve the planning, conduct, and sustainment of campaigns designed to accomplish strategic goals within a specific theater of war.
Tactics (Tactical) Tactics are the specific techniques that smaller units use to win battles and engagements.
The “Framework” of War • Strategic Level • National or Alliance security objectives • Operational Level • Conduct, and sustainment of campaigns • Tactical Level • Fighting battles and engagements
Military Operations Strategy=War Operations=Campaign Tactics=Battle
Combined Operations An operation conducted by forces of two or more allied nations acting together for the accomplishment of a single mission. (i.e., “international”)
Joint A force of assigned or attached elements of two or more services and constituted by appropriate authority for a specific or limited purpose or missions of short duration. (i.e., “interservice”)
National Military Strategy • Strategy of Attrition/Exhaustion: A strategy which seeks the gradual erosion of the combat power of the enemy’s armed forces and/or the enemy’s will or non-military means to resist. • Strategy of Annihilation/Incapacitation: A strategy which seeks the immediate destruction of the combat power of the enemy’s armed forces.
Principles of War • OBJECTIVE • OFFENSIVE • MASS • ECONOMY OF FORCE • MANEUVER • UNITY OF COMMAND • SECURITY • SURPRISE • SIMPLICITY
Friction • Carl von Clausewitz, On War. • “Friction” as Chance or Uncertainty? • Friction Culminating Point
Friction “Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.” “Friction is the force that makes the apparently easy so difficult.” “Friction is the only concept that more or less corresponds to the factors that distinguish real war from war on paper.
Offense / Offensive “The offensive is the decisive form of war.” “The fight is taken to the enemy in such a way as to achieve decisive victory at least cost.” “The main purpose of the offensive is to defeat, destroy, or neutralize the enemy force.”
Defense / Defensive “The immediate purpose of defensive operations is to defeat an enemy attack.” “The greater intent of the defensive is to force the attack to culminate, to gain the initiative for friendly forces, and to create the opportunity to shift to the offensive.”
Retrograde “A retrograde operation is a maneuver to the rear or away from the enemy.” “It is part of a larger scheme of maneuver to regain the initiative and defeat the enemy.” “Commanders use retrograde operations to harass, exhaust, resist, delay, or damage an enemy.”
Military Operations Other Than War “…military activities during peacetime and conflict that do not necessarily involve armed clashes between two organized forces.” “…attempts to influence world events through those actions that routinely occur between nations.” “…hostilities to secure strategic objectives.”
Logistics “Logistics is the process of planning and executing the sustainment of forces in support of military operations.” “Logistics cannot win a war, but its absence or inadequacy can cause defeat.”
Force Projection “…the movement of military forces from the Continental US or a theater in response to requirements of war or MOOTW.” “Force projection operations extend from mobilization and deployment. . .to redeployment. . .to demobilization.”
