The Principle of Mass in Relation to Transformation and the Contemporary Operational Environment

Abstract

Throughout history, military theorists have pondered the existence of a set of principles to guide soldiers in the application of force. Mass is one of the most critical components and has existed as a United States Army principle of war since 1921. The United States Army military is currently undergoing vast changes based upon societal, technological, and evolving threat-based stimuli. This thesis examines if, at the tactical level, the United States Army should redefine the principle of mass in relation to those factors. The research shows that the current definition of mass is valid. However, the Army must clearly define a full-spectrum-based operational concept to define how it envisions force employment in the future. Not only will this revised operational concept help leaders understand how the Army will fight in the information age, it will foster a much-needed change in culture inherent in transformation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 06, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416366

Entities

People

  • Gregory F. Sierra

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Artillery
  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Indirect Fire
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Applications
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Second World War
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Training
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

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