Describe And Compare American Military Models: Analyze Changing Policies

American Military History
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
American Military History
The phrase “the American way of war” was first used by Russell Weigley who was famous for writing about the history of the U.S. army. He used this phrase in the book he published to refer to an attrition strategy that was common among the American army whose aim was to defeat the Germans in 1918. Moreover, the Americans aimed at pulverizing the main cities in both Japan and Germany so as to make them to surrender. Furthermore, the military strategy used by the U.S. was applied during the Civil war and the two world wars. Experts believe that the strategy was not fundamentally unique because of its technical style, but by the size of U.S. army (Millett, Maslowski & Feis, 2012). The U.S. utilized its destructive power and mobilized its army that was made up of both citizens and army personnel who were both subjected to huge suffering and also inflicted damage to their opponents. This paper analyzes the American way of war, military models and policies, as well as how the country has historically participated in war.
The American military strategy is characterized by similar methods like those used in the conflicts that took place against Vietnam and Korea, with the first one being a bloody affair and the latter being an expensive draw. However, the successful conflict was the first Gulf War, and it most used the traditional mode where the military relied on a huge amount of firepower. The conflict was composed of more than 35 days constant bombing accompanied with the major military conflict. In Iraq, the 8-division allied force was massively heavy such that it aimed at slaughtering every object. Just like other generalization, Millett, Maslowski and Feis (2012) say that the U.S. military strategy requires some qualifications. This is because certain generals like George S. Patton and Stonewall Jackson tended to favor dazzling maneuvers instead of frontal assaults that were costly.
America also fought numerous other “small wars” which were conducted in a more modest manner. Nevertheless, the main plan used by the U.S. army and its strategies bigger conflicts has always managed to transform and enhance its powers (Millett, Maslowski & Feis, 2012). The military models are also based on heavy artillery that aims at attaining “crushing” military victory. Analyzing how the war was thought about and its practices, starting from personalities such as Robert McNamara and George Washington, the U.S. strategy was aimed at attaining a crushing military victory. The main strategy against an adversary is to either kill the enemy or contribute towards attrition. Furthermore, the politicians as well as the army personnel believed that total destruction of the opponent’s army and occupying the capital city would signify a win for the U.S. military and the start of negotiation processes that occur after the war.
Unlike other European countries, the U.S. considers war as another alternative to be used instead of bargaining.
Research studies have shown that the United States strategies of going to war can be summarized as a battle and not a war. This interpretation was introduced by Wei...