Resurrecting Kinetics: Relevancy of Joint Lethal Fires in COIN Operations
Abstract
Throughout the history of armed conflict, lethal fires made significant contributions toward success on the battlefield. Most accomplishments occurred primarily in conventional warfare environments. However, joint lethal fires in the form of mortar, cannon, rocket, missile or aerial delivered munitions also helped successfully shape operations in the small wars and counterinsurgencies of the past. Although, the focus of irregular warfare in most historical examples is on non-kinetic or soft means, kinetic lethal fires were required in most phases of combat operations to be successful with combating insurgencies. One such historical conflict that provided the US firsthand experience with the difficulties of counterinsurgency operations was the war in Vietnam. The issues and lessons learned from this historical case can be applied to present day operations combating insurgents in OEF and OIF.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- AD1019561
Entities
People
- Christopher M. Valeriano
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College