Military Thought and Doctrine in Europe and the United States: Patterns of Interaction in the Twentieth Century
Abstract
The thesis examines the past and present ties between U.S. military thought as expressed in combat doctrine and the imagined and historical reality of war in Europe to examine how the use and abuse of military history within the genesis of U.S. military doctrine and thought has occurred. The thesis surveys the course of U.S. defense strategy as it has related to Europe, and specifically how it has engaged with the record of German military history, thought, and myth as channeled via the writings, interpretations, and misinterpretations of Carl von Clausewitz and the historical record of the Wehrmacht within the mirror of U.S. military doctrine in the 20th century. The thesis concludes that U.S. military thought and the history of war in Europe are connected via an international process of challenge and response wherein U.S. military planners have often looked to the record of European war to extract ready-made tactical and operational practices seemingly suited to solve pressing military challenges. The thesis also concludes that U.S. military thought has adopted various decontextualized concepts from Clausewitz's On War in a manner that obscures a more historic perspective toward the material that, in turn, better prepares the reader to engage with more polemical and flawed critiques of the Prussian and his work.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1150782
Entities
People
- Mathieu P. Amirault
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School