War and the American Military

Overview The three factors that dominate war The elements of war Talking Paper + Briefing Image: Funeral procession at Arlington Cemetery, VA of SSgt Scott D. Sather, first combat casualty of OIF suffered by the USAF.

Factors Dominating War Fog Friction Chance Images: Napoleonic War re-enactment, the USS Indianapolis, and Coalition forces in a sandstorm in Iraq

Fog Difficulty to see and understand what’s happening in battle Can be a literal “fog” Or figurative: Too much happening Misinformation Conflicting information Overwhelmed with too much info Battle of Waterloo, June 1815

Friction Murphy’s Law at its worst! Troops are lost Bombs miss their target Enemies don’t act as expected Friction is that which seems easy in war planning, made difficult in reality! “Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.” ~ Clausewitz

Assassination attempt on Hitler Chance Plain dumb luck and fortune. Col Stauffenberg Assassination attempt on Hitler Background: USS Indianapolis @ Pearl Harbor, circa 1937

Elements of War Participants Motives Objectives Scope of War Level of Violence Means Used Asymmetry Background image: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher Gibbs, assigned to 3rd Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team, leads the close order drill team formation during a Marine Corps corporals course drill evaluation Oct. 10, 2006, in Bahrain

Participants State vs. State Groups within a State Non-State entities Iraq-Iran War Groups within a State Libyan civil war Non-State entities IRA, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, etc. Background: U.S. Army Sgt. Grinch, with Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), stands watch as his convoy takes a break when returning to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, following a medical civil aid mission in the village of Dur Baba, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2006.

Usually a mixture of some or all the above! Motives Secular ideology—Communist vs. Capitalist Ethnic/tribal hatred— Tutsis vs. Hutus Religion—Crusade, jihad, etc. Territory—German conquest in WWII Economic gain—Hitler’s rise to power Revenge—Spanish-American War Preemptive—6-Day War of 1967 Usually a mixture of some or all the above! Image: Rwandan children

Objectives Total: Political overthrow and/or extermination of your enemy (ethnic cleansing and/or genocide) Limited: Concessions Images: Hezbollah flag, Rwandan victims, a Holocaust concentration camp

Scope of War Global Regional Local WWI and WWII Six Day War Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda Images: Kosovo prison camp, WWI soldiers, image of Six Day War

Levels of Violence Total (Unlimited) War Limited Complete mobilization, both of forces and national resources (e.g., WWII) Limited Restrain forces being used

Means Employed Weapons of Mass Destruction Conventional CBRNE Conventional Guerilla/Urban warfare Irregular forces vs. Regular forces Urban warfare brings its own unique challenges Terrorism Theme of modern warfare! Background image: U.S. Army Spc. Fred De La Cruz, from Alpha Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, watches illumination rounds fire in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 26, 2006

Asymmetry Adversaries NOT fighting the SAME war Different motives, objectives, means, etc. Current war in Afghanistan exemplifies this “unevenness concept….” Consider: Are the participants the same? Do we employ the same means? Are our motives the same? Background: President George W. Bush gives a motivational speech to U.S. service members at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., Oct. 28, 2006

Asymmetry (cont’d) Poses very real threat to US interests Consider 9/11 & Al Qaeda Asymmetric warfare requires us to adapt our doctrine to counter this new threat Adapt our own asymmetric capabilities Capitalize on strengths our enemy can’t adapt to Exploit our advantages from asymmetry

Talking Paper A quick reference outline on key points, facts, positions and questions to use during an oral presentation T+Q page 209-210 Pg 210 shows and explains exactly how format should look, including where to double space ID Line – 1 inch from bottom of page Name/AFROTC Det 220/phone#/initials/date

Talking Paper Tips Don’t double space the whole thing Indent each bullet enough so new thoughts can be easily seen Include enough information so your audience can remember what you were talking about (see examples in T+Q). Avoid one word bullets! Not enough information!

Talking Paper Tips Don’t double space the whole thing Indent each bullet enough so new thoughts can be easily seen Include enough information so your audience can remember what you were talking about (see examples in T+Q). Avoid one word bullets! Not enough information!

Briefings: Format (sample) Title Presenter Overview MP1 MP2 MP1 Support info MP2 Support info Summary MP1 MP2 Questions? PowerPoint slides are your note cards; they help your audience, too.

Briefings: Introduction Slide 1 Greeting, Intro self/subject “Good morning/afternoon Ma’am/Sir”, “I’m C/4C Snuffy and I’m going to talk about…” Slide 2 Overview “State main points (MPs)—what’s to come” Title Presenter Overview MP1 MP2

Briefings: The Body (MPs) Support info Sources Present support info Ideas Definitions Examples Comparisons Testimony Visuals Graphs Pictures/clip art Quotes Props MP2 Support info Sources Support Info can include: Graphs, Pictures, Quotes

Briefings: Conclusion Summary State topic and MPs Quick summary; don’t rebrief Don’t add new info Last Slide “This concludes my briefing.” “Are there any questions?” Summary MP1 MP2 Closure Slide: “Quote” Any questions? Remember: PowerPoint slides are your note cards; they help your audience, too.

Effective Delivery Method Eye Contact Body Movement Gestures Voice Don’t read word for word, carry note cards with ideas vs full sentences Eye Contact Look directly at people, it helps keep people interested and you get non-verbal feedback Body Movement Don’t lean on lectern, sway, rock or other repetitive movements Gestures Gestures can reinforce what you are saying and helps keep audience focused Voice Quality, articulation and variety Avoid ‘um’, ‘uh’, ‘OK’ Transitions Logical flow aids in listening and the audience can follow the message 9 9

Summary Factors Dominating War Elements of War Talking Paper + Briefing