Military History

The Past Present and Future of Warfare Impact of Technology and Strategy
Introduction
Military tactics and strategies are essential in warfare. Without the right tactics and strategy, it is impossible to win wars. By definition, military strategy is the planning, coordination, and implementation of military operations to meet some set objectives. Tactics can be defined as short-term military strategies in the field of operations in terms of the equipment to use, how to use them, and troop movement. According to renowned Carl von Clausewitz, who was a distinguished military strategist and theorist, the strategy is how to utilize battles to win wars and tactics is how to utilize troops and weaponry in battles (Phifer, 2012). However, both tactics and strategies have been theorized, defined, or utilized in different ways at different times in history. In this work, it is my argument that the United States military needs to adopt tactics and strategies useful for the more modern-day challenges and threats that the army and the country are facing and also beneficial for the future.
History of strategy and tactics
Before the eighteenth century, military strategies involved thinking about and overcoming challenges such as supply challenges, maneuvers, and fortifications. However, between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, bigger armies started emerging, massive alliances began forming, and more complicated weaponry started appearing on battlefields. These challenges made it difficult to continue utilizing old strategies. They also led to the formation of a grand plan that involved taking into account and using all resources available to societies, including political, economic, technological, and military support (Tzu, 2008). Tactics have also gone through changes over time. Initially, they just involved somewhat simple but sometimes complicated maneuvers on battlefields. However, they have been more complicated with time, as battles have also become more complicated. Nowadays, tactics mostly involve the use of various technologies to collect information. They have also become more and more challenging to differentiate from strategies because they have become more interdependent (Phifer, 2012).
Principles of Warfare
Military theorists and commanders have throughout history formulated what they regarded as the most important tactical and strategic principles of war. For example, Napoleon had in writing 115 principles of conflict. Nathan Forrest, a Confederate general, also had a tactical principle. According to him, battles are usually won by combatants who get to battlefields fast and with more soldiers (Henry, 2016). Over time, some strategic and tactical principles of war have been adopted as standard principles of warfare, and they are quite interdependent. They include the objective, the offensive, surprise, security, unity of command, the economy of force, mass, and maneuver. Whether large or small military forces must have a very clear objective, this will prevent distraction and enable everyone to focus on what is important. However, only offensive moves determine whether objectives are achieved or not. Offensive moves must take into account security (the protection of forces) and surprise (deception and stealth) if they are to be very effective. Unity of command is also important when pursuing objectives.
Similarly, the economy of force (ability to utilize troops effectively) and the concentration of better armed and trained forces at mass (critical points) are important when pursuing objectives (Phifer, 2012). The maneuver is all about how to coordinate the movement of troops to obtain offensive, surprise, and mass. As it is evident from these statements above, the modern standard principles of warfare are very interdependent, unlike most of the principles of warfare utilized in the past.
Maneuvers
It is important to note that new weapons and technologies have not significantly changed several classic offensive maneuvers, including penetration, defense-offensive maneuvers, turning movements, and envelopment.
The penetration maneuver, which is centuries old, is a maneuver that involves concentrating military resources to break the main enemy line. It is usually accompanied by secondary attacks on the enemy to prevent them from freeing up reserves or more weapons to join their defense
Defensive-offensive maneuvers often entail waiting for an enemy to attack in strength and then attacking from a robust defensive position when the enemy gets exhausted or ponders the next wave of attack. The maneuvers sometimes include fake withdrawals to make enemy forces believe they are in a position of power and lure them to a battlefield or area where they are vulnerable, but they do not know it (Phifer, 2012). Defensive-Offensive maneuvers have been utilized over the years by successful military generals such as Napoleon (Phifer, 2012).
Turning maneuvers are maneuvers that were perfected by Napoleon. They move to make enemy forces turn and retreat or abandon favorable positions, e.g., going behind enemy lines and cutting their communication lines and supply routes. As mentioned, they were perfected by Napoleon. Robert Lee, a confederate general, also utilized them a lot during the American Civil War (Phifer, 2012).
The envelopment maneuver, which is also old, involves fighting to keep busy an enemy center. At the same time, other forces are utilized to attack both or a single flank of the enemy in a bid to push the enemy back or force the enemy to fight in multiple fronts (Phifer, 2012; Willoughby, 1939).
The Historical and Theoretical Development of Strategy and Tactics
Strategies and tactics began a long time ago. They date back to the start of human warfare. They were, however, well-developed when empires and kingdoms started expanding and becoming more powerful. For instance, one of the earliest tactics of war was the phalanx formation. It involved troops arranging themselves in such a way that their shields overlapped to protect one another. This formation was utilized as early as 3000BC and was later perfected by the Romans (Phifer, 2012). Strategies and tactics have, over the years, increased and improved with the emergence and growth of civilizations. Great wars and clashes have also resulted in strategies in strategies and tactics improving. And so have nationalism, ideologies, and evolution of state power.
The Emergence of Modern Warfare
The king of Sweden Gustav II is a pioneer of modern war tactics. He is credited with reintroducing maneuver into military studies in his country. His standing army had small mobile units that utilized maneuvering tactics for overwhelming and destroying enemies (Noel, 1905).
Napoleon I is also a pioneer of modern war tactics. According to many military historians, he is one of the greatest military tacticians ever. It was during his time that modern warfare was born. Napoleon led several Republican Forces during the French Revolution and created many tactics that are used to this date. Napoleon is renowned for carefully planning battles and quickly moving troops on fields of battle. His battles usually commenced with cannonading and skirmishing and then the concentration of his forces on enemy flanks to overwhelm the enemy (Phifer, 2012). Because of the many battles and wars, Napoleon was always fighting. There was a strong need for an organization of his multiple units and coordination. This led to the development of rudimentary military structures.
The 19th Century: Theory and Technological Change
Napoleon did develop many warfare strategies and tactics. Some of his close military officials captured them in writing. Military historians also wrote about them and discussed them. Clausewitz, a renowned military theorist, is believed to have written perhaps the most authoritative account of Napoleon’s tactics and strategies. According to Clausewitz, there is a close link between national policy and war. In other words, war cannot be separated from other political and other spheres of life. Clausewitz, in his works, also emphasizes the principles of economy of force, mass, and destruction of combatant forces (Von Clausewitz, 1956). Jomini, another renowned military theorist, had contrary ideas on what was important in war. According to him, carefully planned and rapid geometric maneuvers are very important to winning wars.
The 19th century wars included more destructive weapons and technological changes. These completely change how wars are fought. Some of the technologies that came in the 19th century and changed war forever include steamships and railroads. These enabled the reach of military forces and increased the speed at which troops could be mobilized. Many weapon industries also developed in the 19th century and supplies rifles, artilleries, and other weapons that were far more devastating than what was used before. The invention of such weapons changed tactics and made the use of grenades and trenches more popular. They also led to the introduction of land mines to deter the swift movement of enemy forces. Another technology that changed how wars were fought in the 19th century was the telegraph. Telegraph communications-enabled large scale tactics and strategies (Phifer, 2012; Von Clausewitz, 1956). During the 19th Century American Civil War, the North won against the South partly because of its superior industries it had and its use of technology in the war.
World Wars: Trench Tactics to Nuclear Strategy
During the First World War, most militaries first attempted classic offensive maneuvers. However, many found it difficult to envelop or destroy opposing forces as rapidly as they wished. This strategy led to the emergence of trench warfare on the battlefront. Many previous military tactics became useless, and the war turned into a war of attrition with complete national involvement (including industries) in war efforts. The use of airpower was advocated for in the 1920s and 1930s as a method to win wars quickly by bombing enemy positions and inflicting massive losses by bombing industries and infrastructure. The use of tanks also became more prominent during the First World War. Tanks and tank tactics replaced cavalries and cavalry tactics.
The Second World War saw a continuation of the war strategies and tactics developed in the First World War. It also saw the emergence of modern naval warfare with massive ships, powerful boats, and submarines involved. The war also saw the emergence and coordination of global coalitions try to overpower one another. However, what decided the war in South Asia was the development of nuclear weapons. The destructive power of nuclear bombs or atomic bombs led to the surrender of Japan, and it changed war forever (Steele, 2005). After the Second World War, countries are now fighting differently because enemies in many instances are no longer massive armies but terrorists who fight using guerilla tactics. One of the ways countries are fighting is by utilizing small and very mobile Special Forces.
US Military strategy and tactics of the future
The US military has changed over time since it was formed. The military continues to change with changing threats and challenges. It is, however, important that it adopts tactics and strategies that are suited for the modern-day world. One way the military could approach this is through the Joint Operations doctrine, which is now official advice from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Hundley, 1999; RisCassi, 1997). Joint operations between different military departments can help to pool resources in many situations and achieve objectives efficiently (Grieco, 2018).
According to the Joint doctrine, joint operations are operations in which multiple military departments work together under one commander for the achievement of a certain goal. The doctrine advocates for building military readiness and making sure multiple military departments are trained to work together and are ready for immediate deployment whenever they are needed. The doctrine also advocates military modernization to prepare for future battles and wars. The modernization entails developing better weapons, increasing soldier lethality, and eliminating the need for boots on the ground in certain situations (Grieco, 2018).
The doctrine also calls for reforms of the military, particularly reforms to increase monies for actual war efforts and to free up commanders to enable them to make effective and timely decisions (Grieco, 2018). Lastly, the Joint doctrine calls for the strengthening of partnerships and alliances to enable interoperability, which is the capacity of different U.S. military departments and partners to work together effectively (Grieco, 2018).
Conclusion
Military strategies and tactics have been important since time immemorial. However, they have evolved. Some of the things that have led to changes in military tactics and strategies are the development of strong nation-states, the development of different technologies, the development of different weapons, and several total wars. The tactics and strategies of the U.S. military have also changed over time. To make sure the U.S. military is capable of fighting modern and future wars, there is a need for it to prepare aggressively. Thankfully, the military is already doing this through the Joint doctrine.


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