Back to Basics: Advanced Edition
Before I hit my narrative stride, know up front that the new edition of the Journal of Military Operations comes out on Monday. Swing by the site to pick it up and do yourself an intellectual favor…your brain will thank you.
As a young Army Strategist, most of my time over the last few years has been focused on all things strategy; Thucydides, Clausewitz, Gray, Kennan, Kissinger, Marshall, etc. These studies drew me to the relatively new resource on strategy, the Infinity Journal, which drew in a lot of big names, even more “newbies”, and nothing but great content.
When the guys and gals at IJ began a new journal dedicated to warfare, The Journal of Military Operations, I was immediately interested at the prospect of this aspect of my craft. I was impressed with the first edition, which I reviewed here, and included topics across the vast spectrum that is warfare. More than anything, I felt that MilOps was a great balancing part of my reading diet heavily skewed toward strategic theory. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that strategy is an action that is brought to fruition through technical, tactical means; too large a focus on strategic theory and one’s knowledge and skills at the art and science of warfare atrophy. MilOps is perfectly positioned to supplement a strategist’s intellectual diet.
MilOps is poised to post another great edition this coming week, and its co-founder and publisher, A.E. Stahl, was kind enough to throw me an advance copy to peruse. The line up is as diverse as the last edition, though with a very focused theme: aspects of modern warfare: where we are and where we are headed. The articles cover armored warfare, artillery, amphibious operations, lightly armored vehicular movement, dismounted infantry, and how historical conventional wisdom on predicting the next war may be right in the short term, but wrong in the longer term.
The three articles that struck me in this edition (though they are all worth a read) were:
· “Whither Armor?” by Clint Ancker (full disclosure: I worked for retired Colonel Ancker while at the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate…and let me tell you, this guy KNOWS his doctrine),
· “Blood and Water: The Present and Future of Amphibious Operations” by Marine Captain Brett Friedman (full disclosure: I’ve had the pleasure of become friends with Brett over many conversations and projects…another example how Twitter is great at bringing like-minded young minds together), and
· “Lessons from the Last War – Predicting the Next War” by Dr. Eado Hecht (who I have not met…more’s the pity).
Clint’s article on armor struck me as valuable in that it took a theme I’ve lived with over the last decade as one of God’s chosen creatures, the tanker, and reframed it in a more conceptual context. Combined arms warfare, symbolized by the mobility, firepower, and protection a tank provides, is the preeminent form of warfare in modern times. While specific platforms may come and go as the character of warfare changes, the power that is inherent in combined arms warfare will remain.
Brett’s article on amphibious warfare is a great highlight to a theme I know the US Marine Corps is struggling with after the last decade fighting alongside the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only is amphibious warfare the heart and soul of the Corps, it is an invaluable tool that will be needed on many battlefields of the future. Given the growing importance anti-access and area-denial operations seem to be playing in defense circles as we come out of Iraq and Afghanistan, similar importance should be placed in the amphibious and ground capabilities that are the inevitable end game of naval blockades and strategic bombing when a real “hot war” kicks off.
Finally, Eado’s article on prediction is a great read to intellectually check your own math on historical conventional wisdom. Did Germany learn the right lessons from the War to End All Wars, or did France and its allies? What about Egypt and Israel from the Six Day War? His conclusions may surprise you…
Congratulations to A.E. and his folks at MilOps; they continue to put out a great product that incorporates many career-long great minds and newbies alike. Now go pick it up and enjoy.