The Operational Level of War: After the Smoke Clears

Abstract

At the conclusion of World War II the United States, in consonance with Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union, embarked on the greatest military government operation of all time -- the occupation or liberation of territory previously controlled by the Axis powers. Today's economic, political and military position of Germany and Japan attest to the effectiveness of post war reconstruction executed in large measure by well prepared civil affairs plans, organizations and trained personnel. This study will attempt to deal with the preparedness of today's senior officer to cope with Civil Affairs/Military Government (CA/MG) across the full spectrum of conflict. Using the experience of WW II as a foundation, this effort will address: doctrinal requirements imposed on the ground commander; the jurisdictional debate over State/Defense Department issues; and CA/MG training, organization and planning then and now. It will not draw any conclusions nor make any recommendations. I leave that to the reader, who I hope is a student of war at the operational level. Hopefully, he will see that operational art extends well beyond battles, campaigns and the defeat of belligerent armies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 1988
Accession Number
ADA193975

Entities

People

  • Thomas E. Hanlon

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Affairs
  • Department Of State
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warning Systems

Readers

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