Land Warfare

Asymmetric Warfare
commentary
Could Insurgency Offer Ukraine a Decisive Edge?
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Apr 6, 2022
The Hill
While insurgency rarely offers a path to early victory, a campaign of popular resistance that supports the continuing conventional battle could give overmatched Ukraine an edge in its fight against Russian occupiers.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Russia Destroyed Grozny and Aleppo—Is Kyiv Next?
Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh, Peter A. Wilson
Mar 28, 2022
The Hill
Russia used a brutal approach in Grozny and Aleppo, and may use a similar approach against Ukraine's cities. But it could be less effective or riskier in Ukraine. Ukraine's determination to resist is strong, and the West is supplying an impressive array of advanced weaponry and intelligence support.
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Ukraine
commentary
What Kind of Resistance Can Ukraine Mount?
Stephen J. Flanagan, Marta Kepe @martakepe
Feb 28, 2022
Defense News
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered general mobilization, and Ukrainians are already engaging in irregular warfare and preparing for a prolonged resistance. What might a comprehensive Ukrainian resistance entail? What is the potential effectiveness, and what are the risks? What support could the international community provide?
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Ukraine
commentary
Ukraine Needs Help Surviving Airstrikes, Not Just Killing Tanks
Dara Massicot @MassDara
Jan 19, 2022
Defense One
A Russian large-scale multidomain operation would be devastating for the Ukrainian military and people, and Ukraine should work to prevent that. But steps can also be taken to reduce the effects of the air and missile strikes that would likely lead off such an operation.
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Military Force Deployment
commentary
Russian Mercenaries in Great-Power Competition: Strategic Supermen or Weak Link?
Molly Dunigan, Ben Connable
Mar 9, 2021
The RAND Blog
The weaknesses within Russian mercenary forces and within the Russian state in relation to press-ganged youths, conscripts, and casualties may offer opportunities for exploitation in great-power competition. These broader weaknesses in Russian national will to fight could be examined to identify more ways to prevent Russia from aggressively undermining Western democracy.
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Firearms
commentary
A Brief History of the Assault Rifle
Michael Shurkin
Jun 30, 2016
The Atlantic
The assault rifle is a class of weapon that emerged in the middle of the last century to meet the needs of combat soldiers on the modern battlefield, where the level of violence had reached such heights that an entirely new way of fighting had emerged.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Artillery Returns to the Battlefield in the War Against ISIL
James T. Quinlivan
Jan 11, 2016
War on the Rocks
Together with increased air attacks, the Syrians and their Russian advisors seek to revitalize combined arms forces, and artillery is critical to their vision.
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Military Strategy
commentary
How to Lose a Civil War: Lessons for Afghanistan and Syria
James T. Quinlivan
Sep 10, 2015
War on the Rocks
Recently, both Syria and Afghanistan have seen battles that demonstrate anew the potential risks of seeking to defend exposed positions. Syrian leaders seem to have recognized that there are limits to the amount of territory its military can hold. Afghanistan's leaders would be well advised to come to the same conclusion.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Land Power and a Third Offset Through a Wide-Angle Lens
Michael J. Mazarr @MMazarr
May 21, 2015
War on the Rocks
The so-called 'third offset' is intended to guide U.S. defense strategy. The right way to view it is as part of a comprehensive vision for competitive advantage, one in which land power, often minimized in offset analyses, can play a central role.
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Military Strategy
blog
7 Lessons from 13 Years of War
Oct 16, 2014
RAND senior international policy analyst Linda Robinson addressed the annual Army USA Conference in Washington to present new research that distills lessons learned from the U.S. experience in the last 13 years of war.
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Land Warfare

Could Insurgency Offer Ukraine a Decisive Edge?

Russia Destroyed Grozny and Aleppo—Is Kyiv Next?

What Kind of Resistance Can Ukraine Mount?

Ukraine Needs Help Surviving Airstrikes, Not Just Killing Tanks

Russian Mercenaries in Great-Power Competition: Strategic Supermen or Weak Link?

A Brief History of the Assault Rifle

Artillery Returns to the Battlefield in the War Against ISIL

How to Lose a Civil War: Lessons for Afghanistan and Syria

Land Power and a Third Offset Through a Wide-Angle Lens

7 Lessons from 13 Years of War

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