1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910815635103321

Autore

Sterling Brent L.

Titolo

Other people's wars : the us military and the challenge of learning from foreign conflicts / / Brent L. Sterling

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Washington, District of Columbia : , : Georgetown University Press, , [2021]

©2021

ISBN

1-64712-061-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource

Disciplina

355.480973

Soggetti

Military education - History - United States - 20th century

Military education - History - United States - 19th century

Military observers - United States

Spain History Civil War, 1936-1939

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

The Crimean War : Partial but Precedent-Setting Probe -- The Russo-Japanese War : Enthusiastic but Encumbered Exploration -- The Spanish Civil War : Desired but Disputed Data -- The Yom Kippur War : Ferocious and Fortuitous Fight.

Sommario/riassunto

"Brent L. Sterling examines how well or poorly the US military has learned lessons and applied findings from analyzing foreign wars through observer missions and post-conflict military-to-military liaisons. Preparing for the next war at an unknown date in the future against an undetermined opponent is an inherently difficult undertaking with extremely high stakes. Even the most detailed exercises and wargames do not truly simulate combat and the fog of war. Thus, militaries the world over have studied foreign wars to see what lessons can be gleaned, but the effectiveness of this learning process has rarely been evaluated. Sterling's goals are to better understand learning dynamics in the military, to better determine what types of knowledge can be gained from foreign wars, to identify common pitfalls, and to propose ways to maximize the benefits for doctrine, organization, and training. This book explores four major



cases of US observation missions at key junctures in history: the Crimean War (1853-56), the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), and the Yom Kippur War (1973). These conflicts preceded the US Civil War, First World War, Second World War, and the Revolution in Military Affairs of the Gulf War. The case studies show that the observer missions can yield significant benefits if the right conditions are met"--