Lecture 2 - The Levels of Strategy Flashcards
What are the five levels of strategy?
Technical, Tactical, Operational, Theatre (Strategic), Grand Strategic
What is Grand Strategy?
Defines the state’s ultimate security objectives and how these are to be achieved. Prescriptions extend beyond military means to include “diplomatic, social, and political instruments of national policy.” (Biddle 2007, p. 461)
What is Military/Theatre Strategy?
Prescribes how the goals set by grand strategy are to be achieved by military means/instruments in a given theatre of war (e.g., nuclear deterrence, maritime strategy).
What is Operational Art?
Prescribes how theatre strategic ends are to be achieved through “interconnecting a series of battles or engagements or airstrikes […].” (Biddle 2007, p. 462) –> “campaign”
Attrition vs. Maneuver
What are Tactics?
Prescribes how the individual elements that make up a campaign are to be conducted and how small units are to be employed (e.g., companies, battalions, squadrons). Takes into account the terrain (cover and concealment), the skill of fighters (relative of offence and defence), the type and quality of leadership, moral, and unit cohesion. –> check slides 41 & following for example
What is the technological level of strategy?
Defines what technologies are to be used and by whom. Very context specific, strong dependence on the relative performance of weapons (slide 32).
Precision munitions
Prior to a during WWII the majority of war-related damage was done to civilian buildings/institutions. The development of precision munitions changed that to some degree, as they enable/facilitate targeted strikes.
What does “attrition” mean in a military strategic context?
The main goal in a war of attrition is the cumulative destruction of all enemy targets. Such wars are based on the assumption that the enemy can be destroyed by means of superior industrial resources (i.e., machinery, combatants, etc.). –> Take-home exam 1
What does “maneuver” mean in a military strategic context?
Maneuver warfare is employed when one’s own military capabilities are inferior to those of the enemy. Maneuver warfare describes the implementation of a paradoxical strategy with the intention of bypassing the superior industrial power of the enemy and exploiting their weaknesses.
What is the paradoxical logic of strategy?
The given term indicates the usefulness of counter-intuitive strategies in (inter-state) warfare. It is based on the assumption that doing the unexpected may enable an actor to gain the element of surprise over their opponent, thus enabling even industrially inferior actors to achieve military victories. –> Take-home exam 1
The echelon strategy & deep attacks
The echelon strategy was employed by the USSR during the Cold War. It entailed forces “echeloned in depth” and “attacking in a series of waves” (Ronald Reagan Library). A deep attack is/was a necessity when defending against the “second echelon threat”. It implies striking forces in the back in order to stall reinforcements. Deep attacks require “tight coordination with the decisive close-in or assault battle, and with the rear battle.” (slide 54)
Sensor systems & long-range weapons
New sensor systems have opened up new means to find, identify, and target the enemy deep and assess the results. Without these systems long range weapons are essentially useless (unless you don’t care about what you are hitting). –> slide 56
Why are second-strike capabilities important?
Nuclear deterrence relies on the principle of mutually assured destruction (MAD). This is only credible if actors have the capacity to strike back after a nuclear attack (“second-strike”). One way of achieving this is through the use of ballistic missile submarines. They are very hard to detect and, ideally, no one else knows where they are, which makes it very difficult to anticipate an attack.
Some supporters of disarmament oppose missile defence systems. They argue that by maintaining vulnerability to nuclear attacks, stability is maintained.
