The Future of Land Warfare

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Security, International Relations
Cover of the book The Future of Land Warfare by Michael E. O'Hanlon, Brookings Institution Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael E. O'Hanlon ISBN: 9780815726906
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press Publication: August 31, 2015
Imprint: Brookings Institution Press Language: English
Author: Michael E. O'Hanlon
ISBN: 9780815726906
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Publication: August 31, 2015
Imprint: Brookings Institution Press
Language: English

What happens if we bet too heavily on unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and special operations in our defense?

In today's U.S. defense policy debates, big land wars are out. Drones, cyber weapons, special forces, and space weapons are in. Accordingly, Pentagon budget cuts have honed in on the army and ground forces: this, after the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, seems like an appealing idea. No one really wants American boots on the ground in bloody conflicts abroad. But it is not so easy to simply declare an end to messy land wars. A survey of the world's trouble spots suggests that land warfare has more of a future than many now seem to believe.

In The Future of Land Warfare, Michael O'Hanlon offers an analysis of the future of the world's ground forces: Where are large-scale conflicts or other catastrophes most plausible? Which of these could be important enough to require the option of a U.S. military response? And which of these could in turn demand significant numbers of American ground forces in their resolution? O'Hanlon is not predicting or advocating big American roles in such operations-only cautioning against overconfidence that we can and will avoid them.

O'Hanlon considers a number of illustrative scenarios in which large conventional forces may be necessary: discouraging Russia from even contemplating attacks against the Baltic states; discouraging China from considering an unfriendly future role on the Korean peninsula; handling an asymmetric threat in the South China Sea with the construction and protection of a number of bases in the Philippines and elsewhere; managing the aftermath of a major and complex humanitarian disaster superimposed on a security crisis-perhaps in South Asia; coping with a severe Ebola outbreak not in the small states of West Africa but in Nigeria, at the same time that country falls further into violence; addressing a further meltdown in security conditions in Central America.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What happens if we bet too heavily on unmanned systems, cyber warfare, and special operations in our defense?

In today's U.S. defense policy debates, big land wars are out. Drones, cyber weapons, special forces, and space weapons are in. Accordingly, Pentagon budget cuts have honed in on the army and ground forces: this, after the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, seems like an appealing idea. No one really wants American boots on the ground in bloody conflicts abroad. But it is not so easy to simply declare an end to messy land wars. A survey of the world's trouble spots suggests that land warfare has more of a future than many now seem to believe.

In The Future of Land Warfare, Michael O'Hanlon offers an analysis of the future of the world's ground forces: Where are large-scale conflicts or other catastrophes most plausible? Which of these could be important enough to require the option of a U.S. military response? And which of these could in turn demand significant numbers of American ground forces in their resolution? O'Hanlon is not predicting or advocating big American roles in such operations-only cautioning against overconfidence that we can and will avoid them.

O'Hanlon considers a number of illustrative scenarios in which large conventional forces may be necessary: discouraging Russia from even contemplating attacks against the Baltic states; discouraging China from considering an unfriendly future role on the Korean peninsula; handling an asymmetric threat in the South China Sea with the construction and protection of a number of bases in the Philippines and elsewhere; managing the aftermath of a major and complex humanitarian disaster superimposed on a security crisis-perhaps in South Asia; coping with a severe Ebola outbreak not in the small states of West Africa but in Nigeria, at the same time that country falls further into violence; addressing a further meltdown in security conditions in Central America.

More books from Brookings Institution Press

Cover of the book Still Ours to Lead by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Enemy of the People by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Collapse of an Empire by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Agents of Change by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Democracy Reinvented by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book The Decline in Saving by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Ports in a Storm by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Integrating SMEs into Global Value Chains by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Results Not Receipts by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Leapfrogging Inequality by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Five Rising Democracies by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book The Arab Spring Five Years Later: Vol 2 by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Tackling Wicked Government Problems by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book Dilemmas of a Trading Nation by Michael E. O'Hanlon
Cover of the book The Consequences of Chaos by Michael E. O'Hanlon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy