Piercing the Fog of War: Recognizing Change on the Battlefield: Lessons from Military History, 216 BC Through Today: Strategies to Achieve Victory in ... Change-Lessons from Ancient and Modern War - Hardcover

Steed, Brian L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760335230 ISBN 13: 9780760335239

Verlag: Zenith Press, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

If its true that generals tend to fight the last war, how do we meet the military challenge of the new? It is this question, which confronts us at every turn of history, that Brian Steed takes up in Piercing the Fog of War. From the ancient surprises of Cannae and Yarmouk to the earthshaking upsets of Trenton and Little Big Horn to the recent shocks of Gozny and suicide terrorists, aberrational events are mileposts that mark changes in the paradigm of armed conflict to the detriment of the apparently stronger military through the ages. Drawing upon twenty years of studying, teaching, and applying military history, Steed develops an understanding of how the nature of conflict in all its aspects--from the economic to the military--is changing so rapidly and presenting its proponents with so many unique, and uniquely demanding, events. Through eight case studies from the classical to the modern era he explores strategies for successfully addressing unexpected circumstances in a changing world. His book will become a primer for conflict resolution and adaptation in an ever more uncertain world . . . and a necessary text for survival.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Major Brian L. Steed is a U.S. Army officer. He joined the Utah Army National Guard while attending Brigham Young University and was commissioned in the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1992. Steed has taught battlefield tactics and military history on the college campus and in U.S. Army classrooms and training grounds. He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including most of the Arabic-speaking world.

Steed ‘s writing credits include Armed Conflict: The Lessons of Modern War (Presidio Press, 2003), a historical analysis of present and future warfare. He has had several articles published in professional journals dealing with planning, preparing, and conducting combat operations. He has also written numerous book reviews on military history. Steed’s current assignment is as an exchange officer in Jordan where he serves as a Deputy Battalion Commander in the Jordanian Armed Forces. He advises and consults with various agencies of the United States government in his current position and is a Middle East specialist for the U.S. Army.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

Piercing the Fog of War

· The Battle of Little Bighorn (25 June 1876)

· The Battle of Cannae (2 August 216 BC)

· The Battle of Yarmouk (15 20 August 636)

· The Battle of the Horns of Hattin (3 4 July 1187)

· The Battle of Trenton (26 December 1776)

· The Battle of Grozny (31 December 1994 3 January 1995)

· Levantine Non-State Conflict (1967 Present)

Each of these battles is an example of extreme change, known as aberration, in warfare. In conflicts of the future, the successful commander must be able to differentiate between out of the ordinary and extraordinary. Piercing the Fog of War provides tools to accomplish this.

Using the expression think outside the box, this book is about seeing possibilities where others do not, putting aside one s preconceived notions about the enemy to develop a true empathy, which is perhaps the most important trait for military success.

From the book: There is no simple answer to overcoming aberration. Custer was no fool and no incompetent. He was considered by most of his peers as the best Indian-fighter of his time. He allowed arrogant presumptions to dominate his thinking, and, as a result, he made a series of mistaken decisions based on his assumptions. There are more Little Bighorns with more Indian villages, more Crazy Horses and Sitting Bulls waiting to crush some similarly arrogant commander who is unwilling to expand his box because the world fits so well in the box as it is.

Aus dem Klappentext

This book is about extreme, unexpected change in war, the phenomenon that author Brian L. Steed calls aberration. Aberration is not mere surprise, not just the unexpected; it is something that is so far outside our normal frame of reference as to be unrecognizable. In the heat of the moment, an aberration may just cause embarrassment or financial loss; in the heat of battle, aberration will cause death and defeat. Piercing the Fog of War is a study of aberration in war.

Author Steed s study of seven aberrational battles drawn from the full timeline of military history shows how unrecognized change can have a profound effect upon victory and defeat. These case studies include both ancient battles, such as Cannae in 216 BC, as well as more contemporary combat, such as the Battle of Grozny (Chechnya) that started on New Year s Eve 1994. Steed includes both famous battles, such as Little Big Horn, as well as others, such as the Horns of Hattin, that are lesser known.

Each case study presents a detailed and uniform consideration of the subject battle, including geographical setting, units involved, key leaders, historical and grand strategy, tactical chronology, battlefield leadership, and lessons learned. In the discussion of each battle, the author applies the strategies he has developed to provide the reader a framework for analysis of battle. From introspection to think science fiction, these strategies allow combat leaders to recognize the difference between unexpected and never before known or experienced, between surprise and aberration.

Expect the unexpected. Think outside the box. But can you . . . really? In any conflict, if the commander fails to recognize an aberrational event, defeat will be the result. Piercing the Fog of War provides all leaders a means of expanding the box in order to better deal with true aberration.

Major Brian L. Steed is a U.S. Army officer. He joined the Utah Army National Guard while attending Brigham Young University and was commissioned in the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1992. Steed has taught battlefield tactics and military history on the college campus and in U.S. Army classrooms and training grounds. He has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including most of the Arabic-speaking world.

Steed s writing credits include Armed Conflict: The Lessons of Modern War (Presidio Press, 2003), a historical analysis of present and future warfare. He has had several articles published in professional journals dealing with planning, preparing, and conducting combat operations. He has also written numerous book reviews on military history. Steed s current assignment is as an exchange officer in Jordan where he serves as a Deputy Battalion Commander in the Jordanian Armed Forces. He advises and consults with various agencies of the United States government in his current position and is a Middle East specialist for the U.S. Army.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Zenith Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2009
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0760335230
• ISBN 13: 9780760335239
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 320
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar