War, Chaos, and History

by Beaumont, Roger

• ISBN13: 9780275949495
• ISBN10: 0275949494
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-11-01
• Publisher: PRAEGER AGENCY ACCOUNT

Summary

War, Chaos, and History considers the implications of the emerging field of research in chaos-complexity-non-linearity for the study of war. This study examines the special dependence of military professionals on history in their shaping of doctrines, style, and attitudes in spite of the wide gap between the portrayal of war in military history and the far greater intricacy of its reality. Special foci in the analysis include: the fragility of doctrine; the chronic confounding of plans and expectations in actual operations; the congruences of chaos and creativity theoretics; effects of war on the environment; and problems of evidence and reportage. Three cases--battle cruisers, tank destroyers, and heavy fighter aircraft--are presented to illustrate paradoxes, especially the gap between vision and realization, and the tension between the urge to control and the impulse to create chaos in war.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chaos, Complexity, and Defense Analytics

On the Military Utility of Military History

The Fragility of Doctrine

Battle Cruisers, Tank Destroyers, Heavy Fighters: Doctrines Gone Astray

The Chaotic Sense of War

The Ordering Impulse

Matching Frequencies: Complexity and Creativity

Chaos Upon Chaos: The Environmental Impact of War

Considerations and Conclusions