Why the Study of History is Important for Military Professionals?
Abstract
During the past century our nation has dealt with numerous counterinsurgency conflicts. In these conflicts the U.S. Military has repeatedly had a difficult time dealing with an asymmetrical environment in which cultural understanding place such an important role. We will examine three different situations where the U.S. Military either failed or succeeded in applying cultural awareness to counterinsurgency conflicts. The Philippines, Vietnam, and Operation Iraqi Freedom all have positive examples where U.S. leaders applied cultural understanding. Had the senior leadership, taken into account, the advice from the leaders on the ground history may very well have turned out a lot different. However, in these campaigns there are also examples of leaders failing to understand the culture and people involved in counterinsurgency conflicts that the odds of resolving the conflicts seem insurmountable.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 03, 2008
- Accession Number
- AD1144081
Entities
People
- William S. Hayes
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy