The Experience of the Japanese-Chinese War and of the Spanish Civil War for the Development of the German Blitzkrieg Doctrine and its Lessons for the Transformation Process
Abstract
This monograph examines the transformation of military forces, the development of military doctrine and the influence of previous wars. It is an attempt to identify the driving factors of military transformation in general, to look into the role minor wars are playing in this process and to see whether there are constants of warfare, which are valid over a longer period of time within an otherwise rapidly changing environment. The thesis of the paper is that major wars determine the general direction of military change and minor military clashes are used to validate the direction. The role of military history in general is described and a theoretical model for military transformation based on organizational respective institutional theory and the balance-of-power- theory is developed. The monograph explains the factors influencing military transformation and its relationship to previous wars. In this context the relations between doctrine, concept, and strategy are laid down and the role of doctrine in the planning process - force planning and operations planning - is examined.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA419865
Entities
People
- Rainer Waelde
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College