In the aftermath of World War II, many Western armies studied the German Blitzkrieg success. They concluded that the German mission command philosophy was a cornerstone to lead and command troops in fluid and uncertain combat situations. This...
This monograph examines the dynamic relationships between the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Current Army doctrine in FM 100-5, Operations depicts the relationships of the levels with a vertical hierarchy, defining the operational...
Gen. Helmuth von Moltke, the Chief of the Prussian General Staff during the Franco-Prussian War, defined Auftragstaktik as the actions a subordinate took in the absence of orders that supported the senior commander's intent. The use of mission...
Throughout the history of warfare, there have been periods when technological developments have dramatically affected the balance between firepower and maneuver on the battlefield. When the new technology enhanced the effectiveness of firepower,...
The monograph analyzes maneuver and proposes these questions. What is maneuver? What is maneuver, in the Joint Vision (JV) 2010 sense, and what makes it dominant? To answer these questions, the monograph studies three stages in the evolution of...
Blumenthal, Leonhard graf von, Addison, Alexander Dupre Gillespie
A review of the journal of Field-Marshall Count Blumenthal 1866 and 1870-71. Daily recorded observations of the Chief of the Staff of the Second Army of Prussia.
Artillery has gone through two previous evolutions in employment methodology. The first, starting in 1670, saw it evolve from primarily a siege engine, to a precision mobile direct fire support platform. The second evolution in methodology began in...
This study examines why did the German GHQ fail to bring about a quick decision in the beginning of the war, as was intended by the plan of operations. Also includes a translation of pgs 385-406 from Wissen und Wehr, September 1926,""Betrachtungen...
In 1993, the Bottom-Up Review (BUR) concluded that the United States could fight and win in two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts (MRCs). Nearly simultaneous required that the two MRCs be spaced at least 42 days apart to allow adequate...
Service culture affects how military branches organize, train, equip, and survive as separate institutions of the US military. The culture of a service includes the persistent, patterned way of thinking about operations and relationships. The...
Senri nyumon (An Introduction to the Principles of War) is required reading for all Japan Ground Self-Defense Force officers. The book is one of the basic texts studied by Japanese officers in preparation for the highly competitive entrance exam to...
This study covers three subjects: a comparison of communication systems, the centralization of command by a grouping of armies and the attempted envelopment of the allied left. It also includes a brief of the translation of COL Mantey's...
This monograph answers the question 'Is there really more than one decision making process?' The history of the decision making process began with the Prussian Army. After they were defeated by Napoleon, they decided that they needed to educate...
This monograph discusses the importance of understanding the impact that a failure to provide for security of the Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC) can have on the successful execution of tactical operations. The problem facing military planners...
This study investigates senior leadership in the eras of warfare over time and those senior leader traits, skills, and characteristics, that have endured, changed, or will no longer apply in the ultra-modern era of warfare. The study predicts the...
With the approval of the Army's preliminary draft of its keystone doctrinal manual, FM 100-5, Operations, the terms quick, decisive victory is now an integral part of doctrinal lexicon. The introduction of this important phrase indicates the Army's...
The authors of AirLand battle doctrine, realizing the importance of decentralized command and control on the modern battlefield, incorporated Auftragstaktik in US Army doctrine to deal with the uncertainty of war. Despite the importance of...