Understanding Modern Warfare

Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-87698-8 - Understanding Modern Warfare

David Jordan, James D. Kiras, David J. Lonsdale, Ian Speller, Christopher Tuck and C. Dale Walton
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UNDERSTANDING MODERN WARFARE
A major new study of the theory and practice of warfare in the twentieth and twenty-
first centuries. Using relevant examples from recent history, this book provides a
complete introduction to the issues, ideas, concepts, context and vocabulary of
modern warfare. The expert team of authors explores the conduct of war across land,
sea, air and space, in addition to addressing key issues relating to contemporary strat-
egy, weapons of mass destruction and irregular warfare, including insurgency, ter-
rorism and civil war. They provide an incisive and structured grounding in military
theory and argue for the importance of understanding warfare within the joint
(interservice) context and as an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary phenome-
non. By providing the tools required to truly understand contemporary military doc-
trine this accessible survey will be an invaluable resource for any student of military
history or international relations, as well as for military professionals.
David Jordan Defence Studies Department, King’s College, London, based at the
Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham. His previous publications
include Battle of the Bulge (2003) and The Fall of Hitler’s Reich: Germany’s Defeat in Europe,
1943–45 (2004).
James D. Kiras School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air University, United
States Air Force. He is the author of Special Operations and Strategy: From World War II
to the War on Terrorism (2006) and was awarded the Air Education Training Command
civilian ‘Educator of the Year’ award for 2006–7.
David J. Lonsdale Department of Politics and International Studies, University of

Hull. His publications include The Nature of War in the Information Age: Clausewitzian
Future (2004) and Alexander the Great: Lessons in Strategy (2007).
Ian Speller Department of History, National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He

also lectures in defence studies at the Irish Defence Forces Military College and in
maritime strategy at the UK Defence Academy and at the National Maritime College
of Ireland. He is the author of The Role of Amphibious Warfare in British Defence Policy,
1945–56 (2001) and the editor of The Royal Navy and Maritime Power in the Twentieth
Century (2005).
Christopher Tuck Defence Studies Department, King’s College, London, based at the
Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham. He co-authored, with Ian
Speller, Amphibious Warfare: The Theory and Practice of Amphibious Warfare in the
Twentieth Century (2001).
C. Dale Walton Department of Politics and International Relations, University of

Reading. Among his publications are The Myth of Inevitable US Defeat in Vietnam (2002)
and Geopolitics and the Great Powers in the Twenty-First Century (2007).
© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

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UNDERSTANDING
MODERN WARFARE
DAVID JORDAN, JAMES D. KIR AS,
DAVID J. L ONSDALE, IAN SPELLER,
C HRIS T OPHER TUC K AND
C. DALE WALT ON

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University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom
Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.

It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of
education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521700382
© David Jordan, James D. Kiras, David J. Lonsdale, Ian Speller, Christopher Tuck,
C. Dale Walton 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception

and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2008

8th printing 2015
Printed in Spain by Grafos S.A. Arte Sobre Papel, Barcelona
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-0-521-87698-8 Hardback

ISBN 978-0-521-70038-2 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy

of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or approppriate.

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CONTENTS
List of illustrations vii

List of boxes and tables x
Preface xii
How to use this book xiv
Introduction 1
Ian Speller and Christopher Tuck
1 Strategy 14
David J. Lonsdale
Strategic Studies 17
Why is strategy difficult? 27
Strategic theory 40
The use of force 49
Strategy today 54
2 Land warfare 64
Christopher Tuck
Concepts of land warfare 67

Modern land warfare 80
Future land warfare 107
3 Naval warfare 122

Ian Speller
Concepts of naval warfare 125

Modern naval warfare 143
Contemporary and future naval warfare 165
4 Air and space warfare 178

David Jordan
Concepts of air warfare 182

Modern air warfare – principles and practice 187
Space power 212

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vi Contents
5 Irregular warfare 224

James D. Kiras
Definitions 229
Understanding modern irregular warfare through the lens of
the past 238
Post-colonial wars and the ‘golden age of counter-insurgency’ 257
Why is modern irregular warfare so difficult? 268
6 Weapons of mass destruction 292

C. Dale Walton
Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs): a brief introduction 296

Non-combat uses of WMDs 318
The First and Second Nuclear Ages 326
Glossary 341
Index 351

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ILLUSTRATIONS
i US soldier handing out leaflets in Mosul, Iraq, 2008. (Courtesy of

USA Army; photo by Specialist Kieran Cuddihy) page 3
ii US Naval personnel monitor radar and missile consoles on USS
John F. Kennedy during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Courtesy of
US Navy; photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Monica Nelson) 6
iii Iraqi troops train in urban warfare tactics, 2006. (Courtesy of
US Army) 7
1.1 Hiroshima, 6 August 1945. (Courtesy of US Air Force) 19
1.2 The US Joint Chiefs of Staff meet President George W. Bush and
Tony Blair in the White House, 29 January 2008. (Courtesy of US
Navy; photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley) 24
1.3 MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial attack vehicle, Afghanistan,
November 2007. (Courtesy of US Air Force; photo by Staff Sergeant
Brian Fergusson) 55
2.1 German forces advancing towards Paris are attacked by RAF aircraft,
1940. (Imperial War Museum, C 4115) 74
2.2 German infantry entrench during manoeuvres, 1902. (Imperial War
Museum, HU 68452) 82
2.3 A derelict tank trapped in mud, 1917. (Imperial War Museum,
CO 2241) 88
2.4 Rations sent forward to Australian troops during the Korean War.
(Imperial War Museum, BF 434) 103
2.5 M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, Iraq, 2006. (Courtesy of US Army;
photo by Staff Sergeant Aaron Allmon II) 115
3.1 The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower sailing in formation
with two Arleigh Burke class destroyers and a Ticonderoga class
cruiser. (Courtesy of US Navy) 131
3.2 The battleships HMS Duke of York, Nelson and Renown, the
aircraft carrier HMS Formidable and the cruiser HMS Argonaut,
November 1942. (Imperial War Museum, A12958) 155
3.3 The nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror, 1982. (Imperial War
Museum, FKD 49) 164
3.4 The guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill firing a Tomahawk cruise
missile towards Iraq, March 2003. (Courtesy of US Navy) 168

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viii Illustrations
3.5 The Singapore Navy frigate RSS Formidable and the Indian Navy
frigate INS Brahmaputra, September 2007 (Courtesy of US Navy) 169
4.1 A USAF B-1B bomber. (Courtesy of US Air Force) 185
4.2 RAF Tornado GR4 strike aircraft. (Copyright of author) 205
4.3 A US Air Force A-10 attack aircraft. (Courtesy of US Air Force) 211
4.4 An F-15 Eagle launching an ASM-135 Anti-Satellite Missile.
(Courtesy of US Air Force) 218
5.1 Two military instructors discuss primitive weapons from Latin
America as part of a counter-insurgency course conducted at the
US Air Force’s Air University Institute of Professional Development
during the 1960s. (US Air Force photograph, courtesy of the Air
University Historical Office, Maxwell AFB, AL) 228
5.2 US Marines fight against rebel Chinese ‘Boxers’ while attempting
to relieve besieged legations in Peking. (Copy of painting by
Sergeant John Clymer. Department of Defense, Department of the
Navy, US Marine Corps, courtesy of the National Archives,
Washington, DC) 247
5.3 Insurgent dead near Santa Ana, 5 February 1899. (War
Department, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, from the Greeley
Collection, courtesy of the National Archives, Washington, DC) 250
5.4 French Foreign Legionnaires conduct sweeps against guerrilla Viet
Minh forces in the Red River Valley, 1954. (US Information Agency,
Press and Publications Service, Visual Services Branch, Photo
Library, courtesy of the National Archives, Washington, DC) 261
5.5 An American governor is photographed with locals in Zamboanga
province, Mindanao, in the Philippines, 1900. (War Department,
Office of the Chief Signal Officer, from the Greeley Collection,
courtesy of the National Archives, Washington, DC) 264
5.6 Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division process applicants for
the ‘Night’s Guard’, one of a number of private Iraqi security forces
enlisted as part of the ‘surge’ of forces, 2007. (Courtesy of US
Army; photo by Specialist Laura M. Buchta) 267
5.7 Bomb-damaged US officers’ billet, Saigon, 1966. (US Information
Agency, Press and Publications Service, courtesy of the National
Archives, Washington, DC) 272
6.1 US Navy sailors during an exercise to simulate exposure to chemical,
biological or radiological weapons. (Courtesy of US Navy; photo by
Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Todd Frantom) 298
6.2 Italian firefighters participating in a WMD exercise. (Courtesy of US
Navy; photo by Journalist 3rd Class Stephen P. Weaver) 302

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ix Illustrations
6.3 The guided-missile destroyer USS Boxer performs a test of the ship’s
counter-measure water wash-down system. (Courtesy of US Navy;
photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Rudy Polach) 313
6.4 A Standard Missile Three (SM-3) is launched from the US Navy Aegis
cruiser USS Lake Erie. (Courtesy of US Navy) 317
6.5 The YB-52, a prototype version of the B-52 bomber, lands on a dry
lake at Edwards Air Base, 1953. (Courtesy of US Air Force) 331

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BOXES AND TABLES
Box
i Illustrative principles of war page 9
ii The levels of war 10
1.1 Strategy defined 23
1.2 Gray’s dimensions of strategy 30
1.3 Why is strategy difficult? 40
1.4 Strategic theory 49
1.5 The many uses of force 54
2.1 The US principles of war 76
2.2 The reality of blitzkrieg 92
2.3 The operational level 98
2.4 Manoeuvre warfare 99
2.5 The army as a system 111
2.6 Fourth-Generation Warfare (4GW) 117
3.1 Definition of ‘naval’ and ‘maritime’ 125
3.2 Features of naval warfare at the tactical level 142
3.3 Crossing the T 148
3.4 The battles of the Coral Sea (May 1942) and Midway (June 1942) 158
3.5 The functions of navies 170
4.1 Boyd’s OODA loop 201
4.2 Warden’s ‘five ring’ model 202
5.1 Definitions of irregular warfare 233
5.2 What is doctrine? 241
6.1 Cheating on arms control: the Soviet Union and the Biological
Weapons Convention (BWC) 306
6.2 ‘Super-BWs’? 307
6.3 Terrorist use of BWs 311
6.4 The first-strike quandary and the Cuban missile crisis 324
6.5 Different leaders, different goals 336

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xi Boxes and tables
Table
2.1 Late First World War German defence in depth 85
2.2 Deep operations 91
2.3 The RMA system-of-systems argument 113
5.1 Types of insurgency 231
5.2 Attributes of types of irregular warfare 234

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PREFACE
This is a book about warfare. It focuses on the conduct of war in the twen-
tieth and twenty-first centuries. It is designed to be read by anyone with an
interest in the subject, and the reader requires no specialist prior knowl-
edge. Indeed, the book has its origins in an unsuccessful search by the
authors to find a source that could provide an authoritative yet accessible
introduction to the theory and practice of modern warfare. There are
numerous good books devoted to an examination of aspects of modern
warfare, and even more that address its history over the centuries. Despite
this, we found none that offered the reader, in a single volume of manage-
able proportions, a thorough grounding in the critical issues, ideas, con-
cepts and vocabulary necessary to develop and articulate an understanding
of the conduct of war in its various forms and in its different operating
environments. Understanding Modern Warfare is intended to fill this gap and
has been written accordingly. In addition to providing a general introduc-
tion to the subject, however, it also addresses concepts and issues that are
important to those seeking to develop a sophisticated understanding of the
complexities of modern warfare. Therefore, as well as the general reader,
the book is intended to be of value to students of war studies, military
history and related subjects, and also to military professionals. The latter
may include enlisted personnel and officer cadets embarking on their
careers through to more senior personnel undertaking staff courses and
their equivalent at a later stage. Whichever category the reader falls into,
we hope that this book will do what it claims on the front cover and help
them to develop and refine their understanding of modern warfare.
Tragically, one need only tune into the evening news on any major televi-
sion or radio station to recognise that such an understanding is likely to
remain as important today and in the future as it was in the past.
The contributors to this book have all benefited from experience in teach-
ing students at civilian universities and military establishments. We owe
these students, uniformed or otherwise, a debt of gratitude for the stimu-
lus and challenge that they have provided over the years. Exposure to their
different ideas and innumerable questions has forced each of us individu-
ally to explain and defend our views and opinions many times over. This
book is therefore partly a result of such debates and, hopefully, will provoke
and inform many more in the future. An additional debt is owed to our
colleagues in the various departments and institutions in which we
work. They are too numerous to mention individually but, without their

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xiii Preface
assistance and, sometimes, their forbearance, works such as this would not
be possible. Particular mention must be made of Professor Dennis M. Drew,
Dr John Sheldon, Dr Jon Robb-Webb, Dr Niall Barr, Dr Deborah Sanders and
Dr Aoife Bhreatnach for their comments and assistance. Michael Watson
and the editorial staff of Cambridge University Press provided the perfect
balance between enthusiasm and encouragement on the one hand and
firm guidance on the other. We would also like to thank the anonymous
reviewers of the manuscript who provided a number of keen insights that
improved the quality of the work. Finally, it should be noted that the views
expressed in this book are those of the authors alone and do not represent
the views of the US Department of Defense, the US Air Force, the UK
Ministry of Defence, the UK Defence Academy or any other organisation.
Any mistakes are, of course, our own.

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HOW TO USE
This text includes a variety of learning tools that will help you
to navigate your way easily through it and that will
strengthen your knowledge and understanding of modern
warfare. This section provides a guide to those tools, showing
you how to get the most out of your textbook.
Detailed contents lists at the start CONTENTS

of each chapter provide you with an
Introduction
immediate and accessible guide to Strategic Studies
the content of each chapter. The study of strategy
Strategy defined
The levels of strategy
Why is strategy difficult?
Disharmony among the levels
Multidimensional
Interaction with an intelligent foe
The nature of war
Friction
The polymorphous character of war
Strategic theory
Clausewitz

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THIS BOOK
KEY THEMES Key themes listed at the beginning
of each chapter summarise the key
• War does not have an indepen arguments and give you an immedi-
However, the relationship betw ate guide to the principal themes and
• Strategy requires serious study issues discussed.
intellectual fashions.
• Strategy has a constant nature
be respected.
• Strategy is complex and does
• Strategic theory can help the p
guarantees.
• There are various ways in whic
Military force is a flexible, if bl
Text boxes on key concepts are

Box 1.2 Gray’s dimensio provided throughout the text.
Examining critical issues in greater
• People
depth, the boxes broaden your
• Society
understanding of the main chapter
• Culture
text. Listed at the beginning of the
• Politics
• Ethics book and highlighted in the text,
• Economics and logistics the boxes can be easily referred to.
• Organisation
• Military administration
• Information and intelligenc

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HOW TO USE
Further reading guides at the
FURTHER READING
end of each chapter direct you
to sources for further study. Black, Jeremy, Rethinking Military His
Short summaries of each text A bold critique of much contemporary
provide an accessible guide to the subject from 1500 to the present.
other resources for key Gat, Azar, War in Human Civilization
issues raised in each chapter. In this thought-provoking book, Gat co
people engage in war.
Gray, Colin S., Another Bloody Century

A challenging look at the future of wa
studies.
K J h Th F fB l (L d
An extensive Glossary at the Air superiority The ability to use air power at a g
a given place without prohibitive
from the enemy.
end of the book enables you to Air supremacy Air superiority in which the enem
of effective interference.
find definitions of key military Aircraft carrier A warship designed to carry and o
numerous fixed-wing aircraft at s
Amphibious operation The landing of military forces fro
and technical terms quickly. hostile or potentially hostile shor
Attrition The reduction of the effectiveness
formation caused by the loss of eq
and/or personnel.
Battalion A military unit usually consisting
troops divided into 4 to 6 compani
battalions may be grouped into a
or more may constitute a regiment
Battlefleet A fleet, usually composed of the m
warships, designed to contest com
in combat with the enemy.
Battlegroup A flexible combined-arms force usu
around the nucleus of a battalion
infantry or armoured unit and a
other arms.
Battleship A large, heavily armoured warship
primarily with large-calibre guns.
mid-twentieth century these were
most powerful warships.
Battlespace dominance A US concept that encompasses th
dominate the three-dimensional b

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THIS BOOK
Illustrations and diagrams are included throughout the book.
Box ii The levels of war
Grand
strategy
Military
strategy
Operations
Tactics
Grand strategic level

• the application of national resources to achieve
national/alliance policy objectives

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Cambridge University Press

978-0-521-87698-8 - Understanding Modern Warfare

UNDERSTANDING MODERN WARFARE

David J. Lonsdale Department of Politics and International Studies, University of

Ian Speller Department of History, National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He

C. Dale Walton Department of Politics and International Relations, University of

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom

Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception

First published 2008

Printed in Spain by Grafos S.A. Arte Sobre Papel, Barcelona

ISBN 978-0-521-87698-8 Hardback

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

List of illustrations vii

Concepts of land warfare 67

3 Naval warfare 122

Concepts of naval warfare 125

4 Air and space warfare 178

Concepts of air warfare 182

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

5 Irregular warfare 224

6 Weapons of mass destruction 292

Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs): a brief introduction 296

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

i US soldier handing out leaflets in Mosul, Iraq, 2008. (Courtesy of

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

BOXES AND TABLES

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

xi Boxes and tables

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Detailed contents lists at the start CONTENTS

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Text boxes on key concepts are

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Gray, Colin S., Another Bloody Century

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Box ii The levels of war

Grand strategic level

© in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

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