howl at pluto: Bacevich on "new American way of war"

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Here (h/t S. Walt).

hank_F_M said...: LFC

The title refers back to Russell F Weigley’s foundational the American Way of War, an overview of American strategic thinking and practice that he saw as constant, when circumstances permitted, despite changes in equipment and tactics.

The article is about changes in equipment and tactics. While there are a number of important issues here, it is not a new “American Way of War.” One could argue that the US is just using updated equipment and tactics to implement the same strategic practice. This could be a bigger problem since the weaknesses Weigley and others noted about the “American Way of War” are very relevant to recent actions in Iraq and Afganistan.

The author does have some good points, but they are not what one would suppose from the title.; February 16, 2012 at 8:21 PM
hank_F_M said...: To clarify my point was about using UAV's and Special Forces, I would generally agree with is statements about domestic politics.; February 16, 2012 at 8:35 PM
LFC said...: Hank,
I take your point on the title.
I suppose Bacevich might argue that use of drones and special forces goes beyond tactics because it is more of a 'hidden' or secretive kind of war. But I agree "new American way of war" perhaps was not quite the right title.; February 17, 2012 at 3:03 AM

howl at pluto