Winning The Next War

Way back in the last millennium, when Europa still enjoyed fighting amongst themselves ( about the time flintlocks xformed into rifles) Deutschland finally got free of Napoleon for the last time.

Furor teutonicus begat Prussian militarism and became a Western text in the essential "Vom Kriege" by von Clausewitz.

Nom de guerr'd in English as "On War" von Clausewitz is fully crunk with timeless observations, literally killer quotes and doctrine about waging war.

"The fact that slaughter is a horrifying spectacle must make us take war
more seriously, but not provide an excuse for gradually blunting our swords in the name of humanity.

Sooner or later someone will come along with a sharper sword and hack off our heads."

Great Satan's 30 year in the future military knows all about keeping blades shiny and sharp. Army Lieutenant Colonel William Wunderle and Air Force Major Gabriel Lajeunesse serve in the Joint Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J5) of the Joint Staff as Political-Military Planners with especial responsibility for Iran and Syria.

These regime changing cats recently unleashed "Winning the Next War" and the trend line is clear:

In the future, Great Satan is more likely to undertake missions requiring irregular warfare capabilities, as opposed to traditional large-scale ground combat operations. These conflicts do not occur in a vacuum. Complex sectarian, ethnic, and tribal affiliations cross boundaries and require consideration of regional realities that impact the conflict.

In 2007, there were 30 armed conflicts in 26 countries. 40% were in Africa, 36.7 percent in Asia, 13.3 percent in the Middle East, 3.3 percent in Europe, and 6.7 percent in the Americas.

A key component of military kickassedness will be the ability to understand the cultures of, and communicate with, people from many regions of the world.

Increased language and culture training will ultimately prove to be a powerful weapon in the American military’s arsenal..

As the once and future Def Sec Gates recently revealed

“… In a world of finite knowledge and limited resources,
where we have to make choices and set priorities, it makes sense to lean toward the most likely and lethal scenarios for our military…Smaller, irregular forces—insurgents, guerrillas, terrorists—will find ways, as they always have, to frustrate and neutralize the advantages of larger, regular militaries…”

Stirred, never shaken, "Winning the Next War" draws on combatty ops, society creating and enemy killing events Great Satan has been involved in since 911 and though it is more intense than a first date - it is actually a fun, fast, clever and very worthy read.

Teasers like Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance:

"Understanding an adversary requires more than finished intelligence and satellite photos. It requires an appreciation of their interests, habits, intentions, beliefs, social organizations, and political symbols..

Fighting a counterinsurgency involves a spectrum of operations, from humanitarian missions, peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations to full-blown combat—all possibly within a single brigade’s competence..

To transition between these elements as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, military leaders need situational awareness.

The success of the mission depends on the ability to bridge the cultural gaps both in war-fighting and in intelligence-gathering.

From a military perspective, cultural intelligence provides a means of capturing the nonmilitary elements of information that are especially relevant in stability and support operations."

Future World is a scary scary place, as intolerant, murderous, illegit regimes and terror fanboys plot and connive, survival is way too modest. Victory is the real deal.

"To win the next war, America’s leadership must continue to
emphasize the need for the entire government to be prepared to fight global terrorism and related small-scale conflicts like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This requires the full integration of all instruments of national
power, the cooperation and participation of friends and allies, and the support of the American people."

pic - "Future Army"