Reconsidering the American Way of War

Reconsidering the American Way of War PDF Author: Antulio J. EchevarriaII
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1626160686
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Challenging several longstanding notions about the American way of war, this book examines US strategic and operational practice from 1775 to 2014. It surveys all major US wars from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as most smaller US conflicts to determine what patterns, if any, existed in American uses of force. Contrary to many popular sentiments, Echevarria finds that the American way of war is not astrategic, apolitical, or defined by the use of overwhelming force. Instead, the American way of war was driven more by political considerations than military ones, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive. As a scholar of Clausewitz, Echevarria borrows explicitly from the Prussian to describe the American way of war not only as an extension of US policy by other means, but also the continuation of US politics by those means. The book’s focus on strategic and operational practice closes the gap between critiques of American strategic thinking and analyses of US campaigns. Echevarria discovers that most conceptions of American strategic culture fail to hold up to scrutiny, and that US operational practice has been closer to military science than to military art. Providing a fresh look at how America’s leaders have used military force historically and what that may mean for the future, this book should be of interest to military practitioners and policymakers, students and scholars of military history and security studies, and general readers interested in military history and the future of military power.

Reconsidering the American Way of War

Reconsidering the American Way of War PDF Author: Antulio J. EchevarriaII
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1626160686
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230

Get Book Here

Book Description
Challenging several longstanding notions about the American way of war, this book examines US strategic and operational practice from 1775 to 2014. It surveys all major US wars from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as most smaller US conflicts to determine what patterns, if any, existed in American uses of force. Contrary to many popular sentiments, Echevarria finds that the American way of war is not astrategic, apolitical, or defined by the use of overwhelming force. Instead, the American way of war was driven more by political considerations than military ones, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive. As a scholar of Clausewitz, Echevarria borrows explicitly from the Prussian to describe the American way of war not only as an extension of US policy by other means, but also the continuation of US politics by those means. The book’s focus on strategic and operational practice closes the gap between critiques of American strategic thinking and analyses of US campaigns. Echevarria discovers that most conceptions of American strategic culture fail to hold up to scrutiny, and that US operational practice has been closer to military science than to military art. Providing a fresh look at how America’s leaders have used military force historically and what that may mean for the future, this book should be of interest to military practitioners and policymakers, students and scholars of military history and security studies, and general readers interested in military history and the future of military power.

Reconsidering the American Way of War

Reconsidering the American Way of War PDF Author: Antulio J. Echevarria II
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1626160678
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
Challenging several longstanding notions about the American way of war, this book examines US strategic and operational practice from 1775 to 2014. It surveys all major US wars from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as most smaller US conflicts to determine what patterns, if any, existed in American uses of force. Contrary to many popular sentiments, Echevarria finds that the American way of war is not astrategic, apolitical, or defined by the use of overwhelming force. Instead, the American way of war was driven more by political considerations than military ones, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive. Echevarria discovers that most conceptions of American strategic culture fail to hold up to scrutiny, and that US operational practice has been closer to military science than to military art. This book should be of interest to military practitioners and policymakers, students and scholars of military history and security studies, and general readers interested in military history and the future of military power.

The American Way of War

The American Way of War PDF Author: Russell Frank Weigley
Publisher: New York : Macmillan
ISBN:
Category : Strategic culture
Languages : en
Pages : 616

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Book Description
In this authoritative and controversial study, Russel F. Weigley traces the emergence of a characteristic American way of war - in which the object of military strategy has come to mean total destruction of the enemy, first of his armed forces, often of the whole fabric of his society.

War's Logic

War's Logic PDF Author: Antulio J. Echevarria II
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107091977
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Surveys how American strategic theorists have understood the nature and character of war in the twentieth century.

After Clausewitz

After Clausewitz PDF Author: Antulio Joseph Echevarria
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
"But Echevarria disputes this traditional view and convincingly shows that these theorists - Boguslawski, Goltz, Schlieffen, Hoening, and their American and European counterparts - were not the architects of outmoded theories. In fact, they duly appreciated the implications of the vast advances in modern weaponry (as well as in transportation and communications) and set about finding solutions that would restore offensive maneuver to the battlefield."--BOOK JACKET.

Clausewitz and Contemporary War

Clausewitz and Contemporary War PDF Author: Antulio J. Echevarria II
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191647616
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
While many scholars agree that Clausewitz's On War is frequently misunderstood, almost none have explored his methodology to see whether it might enhance our understanding of his concepts. This book lays out Clausewitz's methodology in a brisk and straightforward style. It then uses that as a basis for understanding his contributions to the ever growing body of knowledge of war. The specific contributions this study addresses are Clausewitz's theories concerning the nature of war, the relationship between war and politics, and several of the major principles of strategy he examined. These theories and principles lie at the heart of the current debates over the nature of contemporary conflict. They also underpin much of the instruction that prepares military and civilian leaders for their roles in the development and execution of military strategy. Thus, they are important even in circles where Clausewitz is only briefly studied. While understanding On War is no more a prerequisite for winning wars than knowledge is a requirement for exercising power, Clausewitz's opus has become something of an authoritative reference for those desiring to expand their knowledge of war. By linking method and concept, this book contributes significantly to that end.

The AEF Way of War

The AEF Way of War PDF Author: Mark Ethan Grotelueschen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139458949
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This 2007 book provides the most comprehensive examination of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) combat doctrine and methods ever published. It shows how AEF combat units actually fought on the Western Front in World War I. It describes how four AEF divisions (the 1st, 2nd, 26th, and 77th) planned and conducted their battles and how they adapted their doctrine, tactics, and other operational methods during the war. General John Pershing and other AEF leaders promulgated an inadequate prewar doctrine, with only minor modification, as the official doctrine of the AEF. Many early American attacks suffered from these unrealistic ideas that retained too much faith in the infantry rifleman on the modern battlefield. However, many AEF divisions adjusted their doctrine and operational methods as they fought, preparing more comprehensive attack plans, employing flexible infantry formations, and maximizing firepower to seize limited objectives.

The Echo of Battle

The Echo of Battle PDF Author: Brian McAllister Linn
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674033523
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
From Lexington and Gettysburg to Normandy and Iraq, the wars of the United States have defined the nation. But after the guns fall silent, the army searches the lessons of past conflicts in order to prepare for the next clash of arms. In the echo of battle, the army develops the strategies, weapons, doctrine, and commanders that it hopes will guarantee a future victory. In the face of radically new ways of waging war, Brian Linn surveys the past assumptions--and errors--that underlie the army's many visions of warfare up to the present day. He explores the army's forgotten heritage of deterrence, its long experience with counter-guerrilla operations, and its successive efforts to transform itself. Distinguishing three martial traditions--each with its own concept of warfare, its own strategic views, and its own excuses for failure--he locates the visionaries who prepared the army for its battlefield triumphs and the reactionaries whose mistakes contributed to its defeats. Discussing commanders as diverse as Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Colin Powell, and technologies from coastal artillery to the Abrams tank, he shows how leadership and weaponry have continually altered the army's approach to conflict. And he demonstrates the army's habit of preparing for wars that seldom occur, while ignoring those it must actually fight. Based on exhaustive research and interviews, The Echo of Battle provides an unprecedented reinterpretation of how the U.S. Army has waged war in the past and how it is meeting the new challenges of tomorrow.

America Goes to War

America Goes to War PDF Author: Charles Patrick Neimeyer
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814757804
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
We have all known from before grade school that The American Revolution was won by a classless citizen army made up of farmers and artisans burning with patriotism and determination. Neimeyer (Naval War College) reminds us that being absolutely certain of something does not make it true. He finds that the upper classes generally neglected to sign up, and that the army was primarily composed of African-Americans, Irish, Germans, Native Americans, laborers-for-hire, and white men without fixed addresses; they rarely cared anything about the high ideals being spouted in the drawing rooms and conference halls. They adamantly refused to enlist for the duration of an open-ended war, mutinied, deserted, and resisted officers and government. They were, he demonstrated, real soldiers. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Origins of the American Civil War

The Origins of the American Civil War PDF Author: Brian Holden Reid
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317871944
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 457

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Book Description
The American Civil War (1861-65) was the bloodiest war of the nineteenth century and its impact continues to be felt today. It, and its origins have been studied more intensively than any other period in American history, yet it remains profoundly controversial. Brian Holden Reid's formidable volume is a major contribution to this ongoing historical debate. Based on a wealth of primary research, it examines every aspect of the origins of the conflict and addresses key questions such as was it an avoidable tragedy, or a necessary catharsis for a divided nation? How far was slavery the central issue? Why should the conflict have errupted into violence and why did it not escalate into world war?