Lessons for a Long War How America Can Win on New Battlefields

by Donnelly, Thomas; Kagan, Frederick W.; Dunlap, Charles J., Jr.; Feaver, Peter D.; Killebrew, Robert; McMaster, H.R.; Owens, Mackubin Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780844743295
• ISBN10: 0844743291
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-16
• Publisher: AEI PRESS

Summary

In this volume, a group of the foremost U.S. military officials and national security experts analyze the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan thus far in order to map a way forwardnot only for the military, but for diplomats, elected officials, and the American public.

Author Biography

Thomas Donnelly is a resident fellow in defense and security policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and director of AEI Center for Defense Studies. He previously served as policy group director and professional staff member for the House Committee on Armed Services.
Frederick W. Kagan is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and director of the AEI Critical Threats Project. He was formerly associate professor of military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
What Is the "Long War"?	p. 1
How Did We Get into the Long War?	p. 4
Which Way Forward?	p. 7
Domestic Politics and the Long War	p. 11
Public Opinion	p. 12
Partisan Politics	p. 16
The Media and the Marketplace of Ideas	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 32
Renegotiating the Civil-Military Bargain After 9/11	p. 34
Public Acrimony	p. 36
Military "Pushback"	p. 40
The "Normal" Theory of Civil-Military Relations	p. 43
Civil-Military Relations and the Constraints of Service Culture	p. 47
The Unintended Consequences of Defense Reform	p. 52
The Use of the Military in Domestic Affairs	p. 57
Civil-Military Tensions in the Obama Administration	p. 61
Conclusion	p. 63
Centralization vs. Decentralization: Preparing for and Practicing Mission Command in Counterinsurgency Operations	p. 64
Theory vs. the Reality of Counterinsurgency Warfare	p. 65
Counterinsurgency Demands Decentralization	p. 69
Preparation for Decentralized Counterinsurgency Operations	p. 72
The Foundation for Operational Planning	p. 79
The Essential Elements of Operational Plans	p. 83
Directing Counterinsurgency Operations	p. 88
Conclusion	p. 92
The Air Force and Twenty-First-Century Conflicts: Dysfunctional or Dynamic?	p. 93
Air Force Culture and Leadership Development	p. 96
An Airpower Renaissance?	p. 104
The Civilian Casualty Conundrum	p. 106
Airpower and COIN	p. 108
Is Imitation Flattery or ...?	p. 110
The Future	p. 111
Strategy, Counterinsurgency, and the Army	p. 114
Political Support for Counterinsurgency	p. 117
Diplomacy's Role in Counterinsurgency	p. 120
Military Assistance and Country Teams	p. 121
Fighting Insurgencies in the Twenty-First Century	p. 122
Recommended Strategies for Twenty-First-Century Counterinsurgency	p. 124
Conclusion	p. 132
Notes	p. 135
Index	p. 159
About the Authors	p. 167
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.