The Small Wars Manual And Current Operations In Iraq: Teaching A New Dog Old Tricks?

Abstract

This paper analyses the Marine Corps' Small Wars Manual to determine what, if any, lessons can be applied to current operations in Iraq. The Small Wars Mantial was originally published by the Marine Corps in 1940 and is the culmination of several decades of experience conducting what they considered "small wars". The Marine Corps was involved in these "small wars" extensively during the early 2Oth Century, conducting one hundred and eighty landing on foreign soil between 1898 and 1934, and participating in several long occupations. Since the manual describes military actions and imperatives at the tactical, operational, and strategic level, this paper seeks to "extract" the enduring themes or principles that are relevant today to the operational commander. After presenting relevant themes, this paper proposes the method and effect of their application to current operations in Iraq. This paper finds that the Small Wars Mantial does contain relevant lessons that could be applied to current operations in Iraq as well as tomorrow's battlefield.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 09, 2004
Accession Number
ADA422714

Entities

People

  • Tyler J. Zagurski

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Battlefields
  • Combat Areas
  • Combat Operations
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Iraqi-War
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Marine Corps
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • New York
  • Security
  • United States
  • United States Government
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Sociology

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.