Asymmetric Warfare and Military Thought PDF Download

Author: Adam Lowther
Publisher: Glen Segell Publishers
ISBN: 1901414310
Category : Asymmetric warfare
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Adam Lowther

Author: Roger W. Barnett
Publisher: Potomac Books
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Possible asymmetrical warfare scenarios include launching chemical, biological, or suicide attacks; taking indiscriminate actions against critical infrastructure; using hostages or human shields; deliberately destroying the environment; and targeting noncombatants.".

Author: Lloyd J. Matthews
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
The concept of asymmetrical warfare is a popular and much discussed issue in U.S. defense literature these days. Joint Vision 2010 (JV 2010),2 the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR),3 and the National Military Strategy (NMS)4 are just a few of the documents that express concern about it. Understandably, the Secretary of Defense has made addressing the phenomenon a central theme of his administration. All of that said, what exactly is meant by asymmetrical warfare? In broad terms it simply means warfare that seeks to avoid an opponent's strengths; it is an approach that tries to focus whatever may be one side's comparative advantages against its enemy's relative weaknesses.5 In a way, seeking asymmetries is fundamental to all warfighting. But in the modern context, asymmetrical warfare emphasizes what are popularly perceived as unconventional or nontraditional methodologies. For most potential adversaries, attacking the United States asymmetrically is the only warfighting strategy they might reasonably consider for the foreseeable future. The Gulf War was an object lesson to military planners around the globe of the futility of attempting to confront the United States symmetrically, that is, with like forces and orthodox tactics. In this essay I briefly examine how the West's cultural disposition and mindset affect its concept of asymmetrical warfare. I contend that the West's current focus may leave it vulnerable to asymmetrical challenges that arise from opponents whose cultural perspective differs significantly from that of the West.

Author: Stephen Blank
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Asymmetric warfare
Languages : en
Pages : 74

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Book Description
For several years U.S. policymakers, officials, and writers on defense have employed the terms "asymmetric" or "asymmetry" to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. The author challenges the utility of using those terms to characterize the threats we face, one element of the broader debate over the nature of war, U.S. strategy, and the threats confronting us. As a work of critique, it aims to make an important contribution to the threat debate. A correct assessment of the nature of the threat environment is essential to any sound defense doctrine for the U.S. Army and the military as a whole. That correct assessment can only be reached through a process of critique and debate.

Author: Shira Efron
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Climatic changes
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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Climate and geography shape where and why conflicts occur. As part of an effort to characterize the future of warfare in 2030, this report assesses the implications of six key climate and geographical trends: the steady rise of global temperatures, the opening of the Arctic, sea level rise, more-frequent and more-extreme weather events, growing water scarcity, and the development of megacities. The ramifications of each trend are analyzed for how they are likely to affect security in specific areas. Implications for the U.S. Air Force are also considered. While these trends on their own are unlikely to lead to state collapse or interstate conflict, they are nonetheless threat multipliers and are likely to exacerbate existing problems and fuel instability around the world. This suggests that the U.S. military, including the Air Force, will have to deal with continued demand for counterterrorism and stability operations and with increased demand for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions in the years to come. These trends could also shape where and how the Air Force trains and operates as bases are affected by extreme temperatures and flooding from sea level rise.

Author: Ivan Arreguín-Toft
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316583007
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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How do the weak win wars? The likelihood of victory and defeat in asymmetric conflicts depends on the interaction of the strategies weak and strong actors use. Using statistical and in-depth historical analyses of conflicts spanning two hundred years, in this 2005 book Ivan Arregúin-Toft shows that, independent of regime type and weapons technology, the interaction of similar strategic approaches favors strong actors, while opposite strategic approaches favors the weak. This approach to understanding asymmetric conflicts allows us to makes sense of how the United States was able to win its war in Afghanistan (2002) in a few months, while the Soviet Union lost after a decade of brutal war (1979–89). Arreguín-Toft's strategic interaction theory has implications not only for international relations theory, but for policy makers grappling with interstate and civil wars, as well as terrorism.

Author: Giuseppe Caforio
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0387345760
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 487

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This accessible handbook is the first of its kind to examine the sociological approach to the study of the military. The contents are compiled from the work of researchers at universities around the world, as well as military officers devoted to the sector of study. Beginning with a review of studies prior to contemporary research, the book provides a comprehensive survey of the topic. The scope of coverage extends to civic-military relations, including issues surrounding democratic control of the armed forces; military culture; professional training; conditions and problems of minorities in the armed forces; an examination of structural change within the military over the years including new duties and functions following the Cold War.

Author: Th. A. Van Baarda
Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
ISBN: 9004171290
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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PART I The superpower and asymmetry PART II Jus ad bellum, jus in bello, jus post bellum PART III Leadership and accountability PART IV Soldiers perspectives PART V Ethical Education and Decision-making for the Military PART VI Stress and trauma PART VII The media PART VIII Democracy under Scrutiny PART IX In Hindsight

Author: T. V. Paul
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521466219
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
This book examines a question generally neglected in the study of international relations: why does a militarily and economically less powerful state initiate conflict against a relatively strong state? T. V. Paul analyses this phenomenon by focusing on the strategic and political considerations, domestic and international, which influence a weaker state to initiate war against a more powerful adversary. The key argument of deterrence theory is that the military superiority of the status quo power, coupled with a credible retaliatory threat, will prevent attack by challengers. The author challenges this assumption by examining six twentieth-century asymmetric wars, from the Japanese offensive against Russia in 1904 to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. The book's findings have wide implications for the study of war, power, deterrence, coercive diplomacy, strategy, arms races, and alliances.

Author: Dorothea E. Schulz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This fascinating book assesses Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz's famous theory on warfare in relation to historical and modern-day conflict--and future trends. Carl von Clausewitz's On War is arguably the most important single work ever written on the theory of warfare and military strategy. In Clausewitz Reconsidered, two prominent military historians assess his theories, examining their viability at a time when asymmetric warfare and "war" conducted by and against nonstate actors is increasingly common and state control often ephemeral. The basis of the book's analysis is an examination of war over the last four centuries, since the Thirty Years' War, including the Cold War and subsequent conflicts. What is discovered is that war is far more endemic and brutal today than when Clausewitz tried to explain it. This volume explores that paradox and shows that if anything, we can anticipate further uncontrolled violence. The authors conclude that Clausewitz and On War have assumed a status akin to holy writ, but are obviously dated. The aim of Clausewitz Reconsidered is to bring the master's theories up to date, providing the current generation with a new basis for thought and analysis.