This monograph defines blitzkrieg as a way of operational-level systems thinking that evolved over a twenty-year period. In the on-going debate over whether blitzkrieg was operational or tactical in nature, much of the discourse centers either on...
This monograph examines the transformation of military forces, the development of military doctrine and the influence of previous wars. It is an attempt to identify the driving factors of military transformation in general, to look into the role...
Blitzkrieg has been variously described as strategy, tactics, and even operational art. This ambiguity, coupled with a misinterpretation of this form of offensive combat, can cause false conclusions when studying the history of World War II and...
The objective of this study is to determine if the German "blitzkrieg" and Fall Gelb of 1940 were an expression of operational art. Despite the mythology surrounding Fall Gelb, the campaign does not constitute a major breakthrough in operational...
American military doctrine and professional literature in the past decade have stressed maneuver warfare and the operational level of war. This monograph traces the evolution of maneuver theory and its conceptual opposite, firepower theory, and...
This study examines the nature of the defense at the operational level of war by analyzing the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 using the concepts of blitzkrieg and "web" defense. The monograph begins by discussing the influence of defensive...
This monograph introduces a model of defeat mechanisms that could help establish a common, useful framework for planning. Brigadier General (Retired) Huba Wass de Czege’s experience and study have shown him that three basic defeat mechanisms...
Between 1993 and 1995, while serving as the secretary of the Canadian Land Force Doctrine and Tactics Board, the author participated extensively in the process of doctrinal change which eventually resulted in the publishing of new ‘capstone’...
As the military continues transformation and focuses on capabilities-based organizations to meet guidance provided in the National Security Strategy and The Quadrennial Defense Review, the Army is in position to redefine operational maneuver. Army...
This study seeks to isolate and probe the possible deterrent influence of conventional doctrine through a case study of the former Soviet Union's reaction to the US Army's doctrinal evolution from 1976 (Active Defense) to 1985 (AirLand Battle). US...
Hybrid threat actors seek to master unrestricted operational art in order to reconcile overmatch and protect or advance their interests. As interest-based rational actors, hybrid threats translate strategic intent into unrestricted distributed...
The Indian Army's decisive victory in East Pakistan in 1971 is a widely acknowledged as a sterling example of operational excellence. The Bangladesh campaign, as it is commonly known, is often compared with the German blitzkrieg campaign in World...
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,...
This monograph determines the utility of the “reconnaissance-pull” concept for division commanders. Although the term, “recon-pull” is becoming widely used by many Army leaders, analysis proves that the concept is rarely applied in...
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...
Since the end of the Cold War, the worldview is that the United States is presently the only superpower. The expectation, within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the world's other military institutions, is that this status will exist for the...
The U.S. Army's first Future Combat System (FCS) equipped Brigade Combat Team (BCT) becomes fully operational in 2015. Concern for the possibility of combined arms capability gaps between planned FCS capacities and those required to defeat the...
This monograph develops a conceptual framework for the integration of strongpoints into a defense against Blitzkrieg relying primarily on heavy mobile forces. It is oriented primarily on NATO in Europe, where most of the strongpoints will be on...
This monograph’s purpose is to explore theory and its impact on military organizational and doctrinal changes during a time of war. Answering the research question will prove useful in contributing to the professional dialogue for the US to...