Other people's wars : the US military and the challenge of learning from foreign conflicts

Other People's Wars explores key US efforts involving direct observation missions and post-conflict investigations throughout its history. Sterling shows how initiatives to learn from other nations' wars can yield significant benefits, emphasisizing comprehensive qualitative learning to foster better military preparedness and adaptability. | Case studies explore how to improve military adaptation and preparedness in peacetime by investigating foreign wars Preparing for the next war at an unknown date against an undetermined opponent is a difficult undertaking with extremely high stakes. Even the most detailed exercises and wargames do not truly simulate combat and the fog of war. Thus, outside of their own combat, militaries have studied foreign wars as a valuable source of battlefield information. The effectiveness of this learning process, however, has rarely been evaluated across different periods and contexts. Through a series of in-depth case studies of the US Army, Navy, and Air Force, Brent L. Sterling creates a better understanding of the dynamics of learning from "other people's wars," determining what types of knowledge can be gained from foreign wars, identifying common pitfalls, and proposing solutions to maximize the benefits for doctrine, organization, training, and equipment. Other People's Wars explores major US efforts involving direct observation missions and post-conflict investigations at key junctures for the US armed forces: the Crimean War (1854–56), Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), Spanish Civil War (1936–39), and Yom Kippur War (1973), which preceded the US Civil War, First and Second World Wars, and major army and air force reforms of the 1970s, respectively. The case studies identify learning pitfalls but also show that initiatives to learn from other nations' wars can yield significant benefits if the right conditions are met. Sterling puts forth a process that emphasizes comprehensive qualitative learning to foster better military preparedness and adaptability. "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"-- Provided by publisher "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"-- Résumé de l'éditeur Contents Maps Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Chapter 1 The Crimean War: Partial but Precedent-setting Probe Chapter 2 The Russo-Japanese War: Enthusiastic but Encumbered Exploration Chapter 3 The Spanish Civil War: Desired but Disputed Data Chapter 4 The Yom Kippur War: Ferocious and Fortuitous Fight Conclusion Selected Bibliography Index About the Author

Other People’s Wars explores key US efforts involving direct observation missions and post-conflict investigations throughout its history. Sterling shows how initiatives to learn from other nations’ wars can yield significant benefits, emphasisizing comprehensive qualitative learning to foster better military preparedness and adaptability.

**Case studies explore how to improve military adaptation and preparedness in peacetime by investigating foreign wars** __Other People's Wars__