Mil Strat Presentation

Approaches to Military Strategy, National Security Cultures and Thinkers

LECTURE 2- Advanced Course in National Security, Defence and Military Strategy

01 Introduction

02 Approaches to Military Strategy

2.1 Principles of War2.2 Context Dependent 2.3 Paradoxical Logic

Contents

03 National Security Cultures

3.1 United Kingdom3.2 United States of America 3.3 Russia

04 Thinkers

4.1 Sun Tzu4.2 Chanakya 4.3 Clausewitz 4.4 Liddell Hart

APPROACHES TO MILITARY STRATEGY

• Principles of War approach
• Context-Dependent approach
• Paradoxical logic approach

Why War?

• Simple Aims: To gain ground and further political objectives
• Complicating factors: Confusion, excitement, lack of intel, hunger, morale etc.

Principles of War Approach

• PsOW: A bunch of rules and guidelines to adhere to get the job done
• A loose framework of casual laws applicable to the entire spectrum of warfare.
• One size fit all solution
• An attempt to create a sort of 'Science of War', with hypothesis that can be tested. (Basically giving patterns in history as to a specific tactic working well)
• Adhering to the rules > being creative
• Sun Tzu, Jomini (Maxims of War 1805), , JFC Fuller (Post WW1)
• Most conceptually straightforward
• Fallen out of favour

"The most brilliant successes and the greatest reverses resulted from an adherence to this principle in one case, and from a neglect of it in the other."

General Antoine-Henri Jomini

Russia

United States

United Kingdom

• Mass
• Objective
• Simplicity
• Security
• Manoeuvre
• Offensive
• Unity of Command
• Surprise
• Economy of Force

• High Combat Readiness
• Surprise and Initiative
• Full use of all means of combat
• Coordination
• Decisive Concentration
• Simultaneity
• Morale/Political Loyalty
• Firm & Continuous Command and Control
• Decisiveness
• Security
• Timely restoration of Troop Combat Readiness

• Selection and Maintenance of Aim
• Maintenance of Morale
• Offensive Action
• Security
• Surprise
• Concentration
• Economy of Effort
• Flexibility
• Cooperation
• Sustainability

Context-Dependent Approach

• Every war is fought in its own unique environment
• What worked last time need not neccessarily work this time
• Unlike PsOW, recognises that war is not just military ops, and that war is embedded within a broader politicial, cultural, diplomatic and economic context.
• On first appearance seems irreconcileable from PsOWs
• Fact remains, both depend on a bunch of rules, PsOW go for rules that work across different scenarios, Context Dependent goes for a Tailor made approach

"Every age had its own kind of warfare, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions. Each period therefiore, would have held to its own theory of war, even if the urge had always and universally existed to work things out on scientific principles."

GeneralMajor Karl Von Clausewitz

Paradoxical Logic Approach

• Unpredictability and Surprise have always had a place in Military Strategy
• Luttwak places Surprise as the Central Pillar for Military Strategy
• War is the only place where doing the Non-sensible thing is in fact the sensible thing. (Does that mean the stupidest plans win wars?)
• If War is that silly then why do we study it? Does that mean that war is in fact not about doing the least sensible stuff?

STRATEGIC CULTURES

• Strategic Culture: A set of Shared beliefs, assumptions and modes of behaviour.
• Derived from common experiences and accepted narratives.
• Shapes collective identity and relationships with other groups.
• Determines appropriate ends and means for achieving security objectives.
• Affects behaviour in war, at both Strategic and Tactical levels

United Kingdom

• Declining Power, Struggling to Maintain its seat at the High Table
• Democratic Credentials, Civilian Superiority.
• Stubborn and Resilient
• Confident enough of security that they now aim to convert their entire Armed forces into an expeditonary force.
• Royal Navy still a force to be reckoned with.

PILLARS OF BRITISH STRATEGIC CULTURE

Versatality, Wide range of capabilities from Nuclear War to Peacekeeping Ops

NATO and AUKUS member, Commonwealth ties

Continuity and Change in Power Projection: Punching Above Weight vs Punching at its Weight

Terroism viewed more as a crime and threat to society than as a Strategic Threat, unlike the US

Extremely close relationship with the US

Ensure adequate funding to maintain these capabilties

BRITISH MILITARY COMMITMENTS

Post Conflict Stabilisation Ops: Kosovo and Bosnia

NATO Deployments: Germany, Enhanced Forward Presence

Hot Operations: Iraq and Afghanistan

Imperial Legacy deployments: Cyprus, Gibraltar, Falklands

Ongoing Military Cooperation with close allies: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Brunei

Commonwealth Military Training and Support: Kenya, Nepal etc.

United States

• Only Military Capable of Global Power Projection and Multi Theatre ops.
• God Invented War so that Americans could learn Geography
• Unparalled Economic capacity
• The US Air Force is the worlds largest Air Force. The US Army is the world's Second Largest Air Force, and the US Navy is the Third Largest. (Yes that isnt a typo).
• Hide wherever you want, an american drone operated by a sleep deprived 16 year old fueled by Red Bull WILL FIND YOU.
• Constant wars have made America more reliant on the Aid of regional partners.
• Democracy, Freedom and Human Rights- cornerstone.
• Mix of Both Idealism and Realism, sometimes contradictory: Saudi Arabia

Timeline: America

A study of America's history and the circumstances surrounding it are neccessary to get a realistic asessment of their security culture.

18th-19th Century

2002-2022

Monroe Doctrine & Isolationism

1941

9/11, War on Terror

US would not tolerate Colonialism in the western Hemisphere, and would not interefere in European Affairs

Intervention: WW2

Bush Doctrine, Strike them before they can strike us. Blurred lines, everything was acceptable.

Pearl Harbour Attack

1945-1991

1917

2020

Cold War

Intervention: WW1

Trump Era

Sinking of RMS Lusitania, Zimmermann Telegram

Truman Doctrine, The Only good Commie is a Dead Commie

Unpredictable, Transactional, Cost-Benefit Analysis, lack of long term planning.

United States in the 21st Century

• US Concept of National Interest tends to be Egoistic.
• Tendency to conflate its issues with that of the rest of the world.
• American Identity dependent on creation of an 'Other' to define agaisnt
• Focus on Multilateralism, NATO, Egypt-Israel-Saudi, ANZUS+Japan, AUKUS etc.
• Global Policeman- Economic aid and security guarantees, capacity development.
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation: Arms control treaties, prevention of rogue nuclear states.
• Homeland security, Terrorism focus.
• Competition from Russia+China.

Russia

• Dont worry Comrade, the Ukrainians wont last a week.
• Long history of war and Military Occupation, from Mongols to European Powers
• Large landmass and open terrain gives importance to Strategic Depth
• Narrative of western hostility towards Russia
• Soviet Narrative used with Modifications
• Defining events: Advent of Communism, WW2, Cold War and Break up of the USSR.
• Large area, Dwindling population, Large Natural Resources
• Nostalgia for its 'lost glory'.

Advanced WW1 Tactics with General Melchett

Even you lot wouldn't throw away lives with such high level IQ, would you? *stares with concern*