Illuminating the Shadows of War: Demystifying Complex Adaptive Systems
Abstract
Not all complex adaptive systems are equal. While some systems succeed in very challenging situations, others fail. Rather than treating all complex adaptive systems as the same as the DoD does, this thesis sets out to determine whether there are specific characteristics of a system that make one more resilient and survivable than another. To accomplish this task, this study assesses the purpose, leadership, and organization of two major complex adaptive systems. The first case study conducts an analysis of Hezbollah, arguably a very successful system, during its war with Israeli in 2006. This study reveals that Hezbollah's success was due in part to their clearly communicated and consistent purpose, delegated leadership philosophy, and flattened organizational structure. The second case study provides an analysis of Germany's military-industrial complex failure during WWII. The analysis of Germany reveals that not only are the individual characteristics of the system important to its resiliency and survivability, but so are the interactions between those individual characteristics. Germany's leadership failed to adjust accordingly the system's strategic guidance when it expanded Germany's strategic goals during WWII. Additionally, Germany's preference for centralized leadership and decision making was incompatible with its reliance on horizontal organizational structures. Consequently, the German military-industrial complex was unable to withstand the pressures imposed by the Allies, and it failed to develop effective new technologies during the war. In the end, being able to anticipate the resiliency of the adversary is important to the strategist and planner as they must allocate time, effort, and resources to those friendly systems charged with exerting control or influence over an adversary's system
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA540548
Entities
People
- Jeffery D. Valenzia
Organizations
- Air University