An Aspect of War That Has Remained Constant since the 1600's

Military: An Aspect of War That Has Remained Constant since the 1600's
Name
Institution
An Aspect of War That Has Remained Constant since the 1600's
The deadly nature of war has remained the same over the years characterized by death, defeat destruction and reconstruction process after the war. Other aspects of war have changed with time including change of tactics and planning. However, some people think that even the planning of wars have remained constant owing to the primary objective inherent in it, which is to fight and defeat the enemy. In understanding the issue, this paper presents different views of war since 1600’s looking at various perspectives of experts; they are of the opinion that in any war planning, which entails the use of tactics and equipment, might change from time to time, but one aspect that rarely changes is the outcome of wars (Echevarria, 1996). However, other views are that all aspects of war, in general, have changed
By considering the background of war, it is a conflict that arises between two or more rival groups caused mostly by economic and political elements. Most wars are ignited by economic ambitions, acquisition and defending of territories. Soldiers are the primary people involved in wars, as most wars are fought on land. Prior to the invention of sophisticated weapons, soldiers used swords, bow and arrows spears and other handmade weapons because battles were fought at a close range. Owing to advanced technology, new sophisticated weapons were invented changing some of the aspects of war. Tactics used have changed based on modernized equipment including positioning of troops, the battleground, timing among others (Echevarria, 1996).
In support of the above, Lehman (2003) states that certain elements of war still remain the same including how war is planned. In support of his views, he argues that the administration and planning of war remains constant because logistical arrangements including the need for military personnel and basic necessities to facilitate the war process are always important in determining the outcome of any war. Transportation, food, medical attention and military equipment remain equally important during wars. Whether in the 60’s or today, war needs transport to move from one place to another. Looking back, during the 19th century, armies traveled on foot or used ships as the means of transport. Later, railways were introduced. With current technological improvements, people still need transportation, food, medical attention and military equipment to succeed in fighting their opponents. In addition, he argues that planning of war is still the same because, in any war, strategies need to be designed with one purpose of defeating the enemy. Therefore, when planning, the end result will always be to facilitate the war in defeating the enemy and become the winner (Lehman, 2003).
Arguing from a different perspective, Collins Kidd (1999) argues that the current wars being fought are different from the mass disagreement witnessed during the First World War or the Second World War. During the ancient times, governments mobilized almost all resources including people and industrial products among other important items for war. However, today war c...