Repetitive Military History

Abstract

Knowledge of history is essential in the professional development and growth of military leaders. Past historical conflicts afford a multitude of examples for military leaders to sharpen and develop their critical thinking skills essential to success on the battlefield. An understanding of the enemy, terrain, local populace, and basic military tactics often determines the outcome of battles. A historical knowledge of past conflicts can potentially minimize the possibility of leaders repeating the same decisions that led to US political and military failures of the past. This paper presents three instances of counterinsurgency operations which demonstrate the repetitive nature of historical armed conflicts and illustrates the need for military leaders to study history.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 30, 2009
Accession Number
AD1117098

Entities

People

  • Thomas J. Mccahon

Organizations

  • United States Army Sergeants Major Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Battles
  • Civil War
  • Counterinsurgency
  • Department Of Defense
  • Insurgency
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • Military Tactics
  • Native Americans
  • South Vietnam
  • Terrain
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History
  • Sociology

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design