Military Strategy: Principles, Practices, and Historical Perspectives

by John M. Collins, Robert C. Kingston

Overview

John M. Collins has distilled the wisdom of history's great military minds to tutor readers on the necessary intellectual skills to win not only battles but also wars. He illuminates practices that worked well or poorly in the past, together with reasons why. He discusses national security interests, strategic building blocks, military strategies across the conflict spectrum, methods for developing talent and strategic acumen, and recent case studies that put principles into practice. Collins never tells readers what to think, but in "Military Strategy" he provides them with the intellectual tools to think for themselves. Written in a clear, straightforward style, this book will appeal to officers, policy-makers, students, and the public.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781574884302
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	11/01/2001
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

John M. Collins is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a distinguished visiting research fellow at the National Defense University. Collins culminated his military career as the director of military strategy studies and then as chief of the Strategic Research Group at the National War College. He was subsequently the senior specialist in national defense at the Congressional Research Service for twenty-four years. Collins has written twelve books and numerous monographs, including Strategy: Principles, Practices, and Historical Perspectives. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Table of Contents

	List of Figures	x
	List of Tables	x
	List of Maps	xi
	Foreword	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Prospectus	1
1.	Overview	3
	Strategic Hierarchy	3
	Strategic Processes	5
	Strategic Summation	8
Part I	The Framework of Military Strategy
2.	National Security Interests	13
	Basic Attributes	13
	Universally Valuable Interests	14
	Variably Valuable Interests	16
	Conflicts of Interest	18
	Key Points	18
3.	Foreign and Domestic Threats	21
	The Conflict Spectrum	21
	Strategic Guidance	22
	Enemy Military Power	23
	Intelligence Estimates	25
	Net Assessments	28
	Threat Assessments	30
	Key Points	31
4.	Basic Security Objectives	35
	National Security Objectives	35
	National Military Aims	36
	Military Roles and Missions	39
	Strategic Centers of Gravity	41
	Key Points	44
5.	The Primacy of Policy	47
	Basic Policy Attributes	47
	Civil-Military Policies	49
	Foreign vs. Domestic Policies	51
	Military vs. Nonmilitary Power	52
	Strategic Bead-Stringing	53
	Key Points	53
Part II	Fundamentals of Military Strategy
6.	Strategic Starting Points	59
	Strategic Building Blocks	59
	Strategic Schools of Thought	61
	Elemental Alternatives	62
	Politico-Military Assumptions	64
	Strategic Paths and Pitfalls	65
	Key Points	67
7.	Fundamentals of Deterrence	71
	The Dynamics of Deterrence	71
	Causes of Conflict	72
	Principles of Deterrence	73
	Deterrent Theories and Concepts	75
	Key Points	77
8.	War-Fighting Fundamentals	81
	Principles of War	81
	Premier War-Fighting Policies	85
	War-Fighting Theories and Concepts	88
	Conflict Termination	91
	Key Points	93
9.	Fundamentals of Military Preparedness	99
	Readiness vs. Sustainability	99
	Principles of Preparedness	99
	Present Preparedness	102
	Future Preparedness	106
	Key Points	106
10.	Fundamentals of Arms Control	109
	Arms Control Aims	109
	Quantitative Restrictions	109
	Qualitative Limitations	113
	Negotiating Techniques	115
	Compliance Problems	116
	Key Points	117
Part III	Specialized Military Strategies
11.	Counterproliferation Strategies	123
	Causes of Proliferation	123
	Intelligence Indicators	126
	Counterproliferation	127
	Current Outlook	130
	Key Points	130
12.	Nuclear Warfare Strategies	133
	The Nature of Nuclear Warfare	133
	Nuclear Arms Control	135
	Nuclear Deterrent Strategies	136
	Nuclear War-Fighting Strategies	140
	Nuclear War Termination Strategies	142
	Key Points	143
13.	Biological and Chemical Warfare Strategies	145
	Biological and Chemical Weapons	145
	Biological and Chemical Arms Control	147
	Biological Warfare Strategies	148
	Chemical Warfare Strategies	149
	Needs for Creative Concepts	151
	Key Points	151
14.	Traditional Forces and Strategies	155
	Complementary Force Contributions	155
	Comparative Force Postures	156
	Traditional Deterrence	157
	Traditional War Fighting	159
	Nuclear Warfare Nexus	161
	Traditional Warfare Fulcrum	162
	Key Points	162
15.	Insurgency Strategies	167
	The Nature of Insurgencies	167
	Revolutionary Warfare	168
	Counterrevolutions	173
	Resistance Movements	174
	Traditional Warfare Nexus	175
	Key Points	177
16.	Counterinsurgency Strategies	181
	The Nature of Counterinsurgency	181
	Anti-Underground Strategies	182
	Counterguerrilla Strategies	186
	Pacification Programs	189
	Prescriptions for Success	190
	Key Points	190
17.	Sociopolitical Terrorism	193
	The Nature of Sociopolitical Terrorism	193
	Atypical Terrorists	193
	Typical Terrorist Organizations	194
	Terrorist Tools	194
	Terrorist Targets and Tactics	196
	Sponsorship and Support	200
	Key Points	200
18.	Counterterrorism Strategies	205
	The Nature of Counterterrorism	205
	Participants and Control	205
	Overarching Issues	206
	Deterrent Dilemmas	207
	Defensive Counterterrorism	208
	Offensive Counterterrorism	211
	Democratic Constraints	213
	Key Points	215
19.	Nonlethal Warfare Strategies	219
	The Nature of Nonlethal Warfare	219
	Political Warfare	220
	Economic Warfare	222
	Technological Warfare	224
	Psychological Warfare	227
	Cybernetic Warfare	230
	Key Points	232
20.	Coalition Warfare Strategies	237
	Collective Security Incentives	237
	Collective Security Choices	238
	Compatibility Prospects	239
	Formal and Informal Coalitions	240
	Command and Control	242
	Respective Contributions	243
	Requirements for Review	244
	Key Points	245
Part IV	Keys to Strategic Superiority
21.	Strategic Trailblazers	251
	Illustrative Role Models	251
	Coveted Characteristics	253
	Composite Requirements	254
	Key Points	254
22.	Strategic Stepping-Stones	257
	Creative Environments	257
	Strategic Education	258
	Strategic Research	260
	Key Points	263
Part V	Applied Strategies
23.	Balkan Tar-Babies	267
	Politico-Military Backdrop	267
	Peacekeeping in Bosnia	268
	Peacemaking in Kosovo	275
	Strategic Critiques	282
	Intervention Checklist	285
	Key Points	287
24.	Final Reflections	291
Appendix A.	Strategic Terminology	293
Appendix B.	Abbreviations	309
Appendix C.	A Bookshelf for Military Strategists	311
	Index	319
	About the Author	333

Editorial Reviews

Every American leader, whether in uniform or not, needs to study this work by Col. John Collins. He is truly one of the rare strategic thinkers of our day.”

“John Collins is a bona fide authority on national security policymaking. Military Strategy is insightful and readable. Military professionals and interested laymen will find it a most worthwhile read.”

“Collins has produced an extraordinary work. . . . There is a great deal in this book that a leader needs to know.”

“My strategic mentor when I was a student at the National War College hasn’t lost his touch. This unique treatise contains valuable insights for strategic planners and operators in every military service.”

“Collins' first book, Grand Strategy, has been a handy reference in my personal library for many years. Military Strategy, its replacement, is a must for anyone who wants to understand warfare, especially ‘the first war of the twenty-first century.’”

“John Collins has written a brilliant book for use by those who develop strategy and those who want to understand how strategy should be developed. It should be the text on military strategy.”

“This comprehensive survey provides an unexcelled checklist for the development and critique of military strategies. It’s a good read that belongs in everybody’s military library.”

From the Publisher

A textbook written for use in American military academies. Dealing primarily with the theoretical debates over military strategy, five sections discuss national security interests, objectives, and policies; schools of thought and other fundamentals; assorted military strategies across the conflict spectrum from nonlethal combat to weapons of mass destruction, ways to develop strategic thinkers; and case studies of competing strategies in Bosnia- Herzegovina and Kosovo. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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