Landpower in the Long War: Projecting Force After 9/11 (AUSA Books) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081317757X ISBN 13: 9780813177571

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky, 2019

Synopsis

War and landpower's role in the twenty-first century is not just about military organizations, tactics, operations, and technology; it is also about strategy, policy, and social and political contexts. After fourteen years of war in the Middle East with dubious results, a diminished national reputation, and a continuing drawdown of troops with perhaps a future force increase proposed by the Trump administration, the role of landpower in US grand strategy will continue to evolve with changing geopolitical situations.

Landpower in the Long War: Projecting Force After 9/11, edited by Jason W. Warren, is the first holistic academic analysis of American strategic landpower. Divided into thematic sections, this study presents a comprehensive approach to a critical aspect of US foreign policy as the threat or ability to use force underpins diplomacy. The text begins with more traditional issues, such as strategy and civilian-military relations, and works its way to more contemporary topics, such as how socio-cultural considerations effect the landpower force. It also includes a synopsis of the suppressed Iraq report from one of the now retired leaders of that effort. The contributors―made up of an interdisciplinary team of political scientists, historians, and military practitioners―demonstrate that the conceptualization of landpower must move beyond the limited operational definition offered by Army doctrine in order to encompass social changes, trauma, the rule of law, acquisition of needed equipment, civil-military relationships, and bureaucratic decision-making, and argue that landpower should be a useful concept for warfighters and government agencies.

About this title

About the Author

Jason W. Warren, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, is future plans chief for defensive cyberspace at Fort Meade, Maryland. He is the author of Connecticut Unscathed: Victory in the Great Narragansett War, 1675-1676, editor of Drawdown: The American Way of Postwar, and coeditor of The Many Faces of War.

Review

"Landpower in the Long War is an important book that deserves a wide readership. That is because, in our democracy, if the American people do not understand the requirements for national defense, they will not provide the resources necessary to preserve peace and protect the American people and our way of life. The contributors to this volume debunk myths about national security and explain the foundational role that land forces play in deterring potential enemies and achieving sustainable political outcomes in war."―H. R. McMaster, former National Security Advisor of the United States

"Warren's volume offers important and diverse perspectives on the political value of modern conventional and unconventional landpower."―Antulio J. Echevarria II, US Army War College

"This fine compilation of smart essays on the future of land power makes for an excellent reference at a time when the United States remains confused about the future purpose of its Army in particular.  Do we think that large-scale ground warfare is obsolete, or do we expect it against Russia or China?  Is a North Korea scenario of major concern or is it fading as a matter of core defense policy and planning?  Are soldiers less important in an era of computers, AI, robotics, and hypersonics than they used to be?  None of these questions are yet resolved in the US defense debate of the post–Iraq and Afghanistan surge era; indeed, none could be.  As such, this tome is not only smart and well-researched, but highly topical and relevant to future American national security policymaking."―Michael E. O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, author of The Future of Land Warfare

"This provocative collection analyzes the bureaucratic, cultural, intellectual, and organizational challenges that have limited the effectiveness of contemporary American landpower. With the continuing decline of Western militaries and complexity of current threats, that set of capabilities may be more essential now than ever before."―Conrad C. Crane, author of Cassandra in Oz: Counterinsurgency and Future War

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 081317757X
• ISBN 13: 9780813177571
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 376
• Editor: Warren Jason W.