Parallels in Conflict: The American Revolution and the Vietnam War

Abstract

Research uses the Fabyanic Model to assess why British and United States military strategies were remarkably similar in the American Revolution and the Vietnam War respectively, and why each superpower was defeated by a numerically and qualitatively inferior force. Comparative analysis shows that both British and American leaders failed to appreciate the true nature of the conflicts, did not establish clear or reasonable national objectives, and each nation pursued a flawed military strategy of limited force. Report concludes that when faced with revolutionary civil wars, military commanders should advocate military force only when the political situation will support a decisive military campaign early in the conflict.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA177765

Entities

People

  • Robert P. Daly Ii

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • American Revolution
  • Asia
  • Civil War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Force Structure
  • Military Commanders
  • Military Doctrine
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • New York
  • North America
  • Revolutions
  • South Vietnam
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies