An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) unit in a relatively permissive area had a difficult time maneuvering large vehicles along a road because it was lined with fruit trees. To improve mobility, the unit had the trees cut down; many people in the village had their livelihoods destroyed. IEDs began appearing along the road shortly thereafter.
What’s the correlation?
Scenario
1
The Evolving Nature of War
The Evolution of War Winning World War IV The Importance of Adapting
Overview
3
Fluid nature of war Evolving Influenced by various forces
Politically ideology Technology Geography
Twenty-First Century Warfare Different kind of enemy Current focus on counterinsurgency
Evolution of Warfare
4
World War I—The Chemists’ War World War II—The Physicists’ War
Evolution of Warfare
5
World War III—The Information Researchers’ War World War IV—The Social Scientists’ War
Evolution of Warfare
6
“Protecting people is the mission. The conflict will be won by persuading the population,
not by destroying the enemy.”
~ General Stanley A. McChrystal, Former Commander Int’l. Security
Assistance Force/US. Forces—Afghanistan
Winning World War IV
7
The Air Force Mission Fly, fight, and win, but… Requires a broad skill set to accomplish
Psycho-Cultural War Twenty-first century conflict Requires different skills Challenges for leaders
Winning World War IV
8
“As combat requirements evolve so must the Air Force's unique capabilities to engage the enemy. We have to be as skilled, as wise as,
and even more capable than our adversaries.”
~ General Norton Schwartz
Air Force Chief of Staff
Importance of Adapting
9
Elements of Victory Cultural awareness Building alien armies and alliances
Sometimes must be advisors not operators The art of perception shaping
Soft skill vs. hard skill
Importance of Adapting
10
Elements of Victory (cont’d) Inculcate knowledge/teach wisdom
Empowerment of younger officers to make decisions Impact of these decisions
Tactical intelligence Precise info about enemy actions
Psychological & physiological tuning
Importance of Adapting
11
Elements of Victory (cont’d) Developing high-performing Airmen and units Leadership & decision-making
Intellectually ambidextrous Flexibility and adaptability
Intuitive command Not what to think but how to think
Importance of Adapting
12
An ISAF unit was often taking rocket fire from nearby a certain village. Rather than raiding the village, the commander decided instead to find out more about them and the reasons for hostility. The Afghan National Army (ANA) commander suggested he send a patrol to learn more about the village. The patrol discovered the village was upset about a night raid that occurred more than 2 years before. They also learned education was important to the village but they had no school or supplies. The commander sent another patrol to the village a few days later with a truckload of school supplies. The next day, the village elders came to the base to meet with the ANA and ISAF commanders, and they delivered over 100 thank-you notes from the village children. Soon, several local projects were coordinated with the village elders—projects they owned. The rocket attacks stopped.
What was the difference in methods and results from the story I presented at the beginning of this hour?
Scenario
13
The Evolution of War Winning World War IV The Importance of Adapting
Summary
14
Prepare for Mid-Term Review
Homework
15
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