DTIC ADA543044: Finding the Balance: U.S. Military pdf

DTIC ADA543044: Finding the Balance: U.S. Military

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Description of the Book:

This monograph examines the U.S. Military’s struggle to find the correct balance between conventional and counterinsurgency/stability approaches. The author uses history to remind us that at the end of wars, Armies often throw the baby out with the bathwater and revert to a default position for organization and doctrine instead of inculcating those lessons learned in the recent wars. History shows us that we do not maintain capabilities and capacity to conduct operations in complex environments. Professor Flavin uses Frank Hoffman’s four schools of thought (counterinsurgents, traditionalists, utility infielders and division of labor) and shows where the U.S. has been and may be headed in the future. The counterinsurgents believe that the irregular adversary that we fight today is the face of conflict for the foreseeable future; therefore, the military must not repeat the mistakes of the post-Vietnam era. Instead, they believe that we must fully incorporate counterinsurgency (COIN) into doctrine and make the appropriate adjustments in education, training, force structure and resources while accepting risk in a conventional warfighting focus.

The traditionalists believe the most dangerous threat to the U.S. is a peer competitor that presents a conventional military threat; thus, the U.S. must retain its advantage in traditional military capabilities and focus to insure that the U.S. can fight and win and survive as a nation

• Creator/s: Defense Technical Information Center
• Date: 3/1/2011
• Year: 2011
• Book Topics/Themes: DTIC Archive, , ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA PEACEKEEPING AND STABILITY OPERATIONS INST, *MILITARY OPERATIONS, COUNTERINSURGENCY, CONVENTIONAL WARFARE, MILITARY CAPABILITIES, MILITARY HISTORY, LESSONS LEARNED

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