A Non-Linear Interpretation of Clausewitz and Intelligence

Abstract

Carl von Clausewitz's remarkable grasp of the fundamental aspects of war have stood the test of time. Clausewitz remains relevant in the post-modern era despite advances in technology, precision weapons, communication architectures and computers--developments which have rendered other theorists passe. His writings provide a bedrock of understanding on which to overlay current capabilities and conceptual frameworks. The freshness and relevance of Clausewitz's insights stem in large part from the non-linearity of his cognitive approach. Alan Beyerchen makes a most persuasive case that Clausewitz was a non-linear thinker, whose work is best approached from the perspective of the relatively new non-linear sciences. This paper investigates how Clausewitz's classic work "On War" addresses the issue of intelligence, explores the value of understanding the importance of non-linearity in fully comprehending his thought processes, and posits some implications for the Intelligence Community.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 25, 1996
Accession Number
ADA442218

Entities

People

  • Teresa M. Jones

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Classification
  • Command And Control
  • Complex Systems
  • Computers
  • Equations
  • Feedback
  • Information Operations
  • Intelligence Community
  • Linear Systems
  • National Security
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Social Sciences
  • Standards
  • Steady State
  • Uncertainty
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Geospatial Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence Analytics
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design