The Tangled Web by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series. Throughout the recorded history of warfare, military planners and commanders have sought to deceive their adversary as to the size, timing, or location of an attack, in order to gain a decisive advantage. From the famous "Trojan Horse" to modern efforts to use the electromagnetic spectrum to "spoof" or "jam" sensors, deception in some form remains an essential component of military operations. Whether attacking an unsuspecting enemy on Christmas morning, as Washington did at Trenton, or emplacing "Quaker guns" (logs painted black to resemble cannon) to provide the impression of strength, US forces have successfully built on a long legacy of military deception (MILDEC) in order to prevail in the nation's wars. While technology continues to advance at a dizzying pace, threatening to render previous lessons obsolete, MILDEC operations have successfully withstood previous developments and even incorporated new technologies continue to continue to form an important part of combat operations. While potentially capable, in some cases, of enabling military forces to prevail without a fight, as the theorist Sun Tzu postulated, more often MILDEC confers an advantage that helps the side that successfully harnesses it prevail, often at a much lower cost that it would have otherwise. Thus, MILDEC, and its long and successful history, remain an important, even vital, tool for any future leader"--Provided by publisher.
Bringing Order to Chaos by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, Bringing Order to Chaos provides 10 case studies written by a diverse group of military historians. All of the chapters focus on some element of command and control of combined arms from 1917 through 2003. These case studies--ranging from US Army Corps in their first major fight to divisions fighting on the far end of culmination--provide strong lessons in the major issue of combined arms warfare: whether victory is determined by maneuver, by fires, or a combination of both. In the concluding chapter, Lieutenant General Michael D. Lundy, Commanding General of the US Army Combined Arms Center presents a vision of the future in combined arms maneuver and expectations to win our next wars in multi-domain operations."--Provided by publisher.
Lethal and Non-Lethal Fires by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, Lethal and Non-Lethal Fires is a collection of 11 historical case studies involving lethal and non-lethal fires from the period 1917 through 1991 with lessons for military professionals who will be engaged in future large-scale combat operations. The chapters range from the First World War through Desert Shield/Desert Storm and provide an overview of an engagement, battle, or campaign; the doctrine that applied; and how leaders addressed various challenges and the lessons they learned. The book concludes with a chapter addressing the future of fires and how to address complex mission during multi-domain operations."--Provided by publisher.
The Long Haul by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, The Long Haul is a collection of 11 historical case studies of sustainment operations drawn from the past 100 years with lessons for modern large-scale combat operations (LSCO). It is intended as a tool for the development of thoughtful reflection on past experience--good and bad."--Provided by publisher.
Deep Maneuver by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, this book addresses deep maneuver for large-scale combat operations at the division and corps level--skills that the US Army has not practiced for many years given its shift to stability operations and protracted counterinsurgency campaigns. Deep Maneuver offers 11 historical case studies of deep maneuver operations and campaigns drawn from the past 100 years that offer lessons for modern large-scale ground combat operations (LSCO). The book's case studies are focused on operations at the division and corps level, chronologically organized from World War II, the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Deep operations require boldness and audacity and yet carry an element of risk due to overextension. Readers should carefully study these case studies and reflect on the components that still apply today and in the future."--Provided by publisher.
Into the Breach by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, this collection of 10 historical case studies covers mobility and countermobility operations drawn from the past 100 years, with insights for modern large-scale combat operations. The essays also highlight several themes that current commanders and doctrine developers must be aware of when discussing or conducting mobility operations. The volume is organized chronologically to include World War I, World War II, Korean War, 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and Desert Storm. The volume ends with a futures chapter discussing the way ahead in the mobility and countermobility arena."--Provided by publisher.
Perceptions Are Reality by
"Part of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series, Perceptions Are Reality provides historical case studies that address the application of information operations in large-scale combat operations. Leaders visualize and understand the operational environment through information. As an element of combat power, information enables decision-making and its transmission aids decisive operations. This volume employs history to stimulate discussion and analysis of the implications of information operations in future large-scale combat operations by exploring past actions, recognizing and understanding successes and failures, and offering some lessons learned from each author's perspective."--Provided by publisher.
The Competitive Advantage Special Operations Forces in Large-Scale Combat Operations by
Since the Soviet Union's fall in 1989, the specter of large-scale ground combat against a peer adversary was remote. During the years following, the US Army found itself increasingly called upon to lead multinational operations in the lower to middle tiers of the range of military operations and conflict continuum. The events of 11 September 2001 led to more than 15 years of intense focus on counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and stability operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. An entire generation of Army leaders and Soldiers were culturally imprinted by this experience. We emerged as an Army more capable in limited contingency operations than at any time in our nation's history, but the geopolitical landscape continues to shift and the risk of great power conflict is no longer a remote possibility.While our Army focused on limited contingency operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, other regional and peer adversaries scrutinized US military processes and methods and adapted their own accordingly. As technology has proliferated and become accessible in even the most remote corners of the world, the US military's competitive advantage is being challenged across all of the warfighting domains. In the last decade, we have witnessed an emergent China, a revanchist and aggressive Russia, a menacing North Korea, and a cavalier Iranian regime. Each of these adversaries seeks to change the world order in their favor and contest US strategic interests abroad. The chance for war against a peer or regional near-peer adversary has increased exponentially, and we must rapidly shift our focus to successfully compete in all domains and across the full range of military operations.Over the last two years, the US Army has rapidly shifted the focus of its doctrine, training, education, and leader development to increase readiness and capabilities to prevail in large-scale ground combat operations against peer and near-peer threats. Our new doctrine, Field Manual (FM) 3-0, Operations, dictates that the Army provide the joint force four unique strategic roles: shaping the security environment, preventing conflict, prevailing in large-scale combat operations, and consolidating gains to make temporary success permanent.To enable this shift of focus, the Army is now attempting to change its culture shaped by over 15 years of persistent limited-contingency operations. Leaders must recognize that the hard-won wisdom of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is important to retain but does not fully square with vi the exponential lethality, hyperactive chaos, and accelerated tempo of the multi-domain battlefield when facing a peer or near-peer adversaryTo emphasize the importance of the Army's continued preparation for large-scale combat operations, the US Army Combined Arms Center has published these volumes of The US Army Large-Scale Combat Operations Series book set. The intent is to expand the knowledge and understanding of the contemporary issues the US Army faces by tapping our organizational memory to illuminate the future. The reader should reflect on these case studies to analyze each situation, identify the doctrines at play, evaluate leaders' actions, and determine what differentiated success from failure. Use them as a mechanism for discussion, debate, and intellectual examination of lessons of the past and their application to today's doctrine, organization, and training to best prepare the Army for large-scale combat. Relevant answers and tangible reminders of what makes us the world's greatest land power await in the stories of these volumes.
The last 100 yards: the crucible of close combat in large-scale combat operations by
Volume 9, The Last 100 Yards: The Crucible of Close Combat in Large-Scale Combat Operations presents thirteen historical case studies of close combat operations from World War I through Operation Iraqi Freedom. This volume is a collection from the unique and deliberate perspective of the last 100 yards of ground combat. In today’s Army, there are few leaders who have experienced multi-domain large-scale ground combat against a near-peer or peer enemy first hand. This volume serves to augment military professionals’ understanding of the realities of large-scale ground combat operations through the experiences of those who lived it.