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Military theory

{{Short description|Study of the theories of war and warfare}}

{{War}}

Military theory is the study of the theories which define, inform, guide and explain war and warfare. Military theory analyses both normative behavioral phenomena and explanatory causal aspects to better understand war and how it is fought.{{Cite book |last=Angstrom, Jan and |first=Widen, J.J. |title=Contemporary Military Theory: The Dynamics of War |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=9780203080726 |location=New York |pages=4–9}} It examines war and trends in warfare beyond simply describing events in military history.{{Cite book |last=Lider |first=Julian |title=Military Theory: Concept, Structure, Problems |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1983 |isbn=9780312532406 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=1–5}} While military theories may employ the scientific method, theory differs from military science. Theory aims to explain the causes for military victory and produce guidance on how war should be waged and won,{{Cite book |last=Angstrom and Wider. |title=Contemporary Military Theory |pages=8–9}} rather than developing universal, immutable laws which can bound the physical act of warfare or codifying empirical data, such as weapon effects, platform operating ranges, consumption rates and target information, to aid military planning.

Military theory is multi-disciplinary drawing on social science and humanities academic fields through the disciplines of political science, strategic studies, military studies and history. It examines the nature of war, and the conclusions of wars.{{Cite journal |last=Lider |first=Julian |date=1980 |title=Introduction to Military Theory |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45083282 |journal=Cooperation and Conflict |volume=XV |issue=3 |pages=151–168 |doi=10.1177/001083678001500303 |jstor=45083282 |url-access=subscription }}

Military philosophy likewise studies questions such as the reasons to go to war, jus ad bellum, and just ways to fight wars, jus in bello. Two of the earliest military philosophers date from antiquity; Thucydides and Sun Tzu.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kshgDwAAQBAJ&dq=thucydides%20peloponnesian%20war&pg=PR3 | title=The Peloponnesian War | isbn=978-1-60384-805-3 | author1=Thucydides | date=June 1998 | publisher=Hackett }}{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gy8yOARCRXsC&dq=sun%20tzu%20art&pg=PP1 | title=The Complete Art of War | isbn=978-0-8133-3085-3 | author1=Sunzi | date=7 June 1996 | publisher=Basic Books }} While military theory can inform military doctrine or help explain military history, it differs from them as it contemplates abstract concepts, themes, principles and ideas to formulate solutions to actual and potential problems concerning war and warfare.{{Cite book |last=Angstrom and Wider |title=Contemporary Military Theory |pages=4–6}}

Use of military theory

Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote,

'The primary purpose of any theory is to clarify concepts and ideas that have become, as it were, confused and entangled. Not until terms and concepts have been defined can one hope to make any progress in examining the questions clearly and simply and expect the reader to share one's views.'{{Cite book |last=von Clausewitz |first=Carl |title=On War |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1976 |isbn=9780691018546 |editor-last=tr. Michael Howard and Peter Paret |edition=Indexed |location=Princeton |pages=132}}

Military theory informs the political, strategic, operational and tactical levels of war.{{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Colin S. |title=The Strategy Bridge-Theory for Practice |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=9780199579662 |location=Oxford |pages=14–15}} It does so by contributing to knowledge on the subjects of war and warfare. This aids in understanding why and when force is used and what forms the use of force may take. It also aids in identifying and explaining practical outcomes to help determine how force may be applied.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Michael |date=2004 |title=The Continental School of Strategy: The Past, Present and Future of Land Power |url=https://researchcentre.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/sp305_continental_school_of_strategy-michael_evans.pdf |archive-url= |access-date=9 August 2023 |website=Australian Army Research Centre |pages=17–9}} Military theories can be divided into several categories, such as operational theory and tactical theory.{{Cite book |last=Oliviero |first=Charles |title=Strategia – A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War |publisher=Double Dagger |year=2022 |isbn=9781990644245 |edition=1st |location=Toronto |pages=11–13}}{{Cite book |last=Yarger |first=Harry R. |url=https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/723 |title=Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy |publisher=US Army War College War College Press |year=2006 |isbn=1584872330 |location=Leavenworth |pages=8–9}}{{Cite journal |last=Vego |first=Milan |date=2011 |title=On Military Theory |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/877014867 |journal=Joint Force Quarterly |volume=3 |issue=62 |pages=59–67 |id={{ProQuest|877014867}} }} They may also be categorised by environment or domain, such as space power or astronautics.{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Michael |title=The Continental School of Strategy |pages=10–11}}

See also

References

Notes

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

  • Angstrom, Jan and Widen, J.J. (2015) Contemporary Military Theory: The Dynamics of War. New York: Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-203-08072-6}}
  • {{cite book |author=Clausewitz |others=Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret |title=On War |first=Carl von |url=https://archive.org/details/onwar01maudgoog |location=Princeton |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1976 |edition=Revised 1984 |isbn=0-691-05657-9}}
  • Evans, Michael, (2004), [https://researchcentre.army.gov.au/library/land-warfare-studies-centre/continental-school-strategy-past-present-and-future-land-power Land Warfare Studies Centre Study Paper No. 305, The Continental School of Strategy: The Past, Present and Future of Land Power], Canberra: Land Warfare Studies Centre. {{ISBN|0642296014}}.
  • Gray, Colin S. (2010). The Strategy Bridge-Theory for Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-957966-2}}
  • Lider, Julian (1980). 'Introduction to Military Theory', Cooperation and Conflict, XV, 151–168.
  • Lider, Julian (1983). Military Theory: Concept, Structure and Problems (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. {{ISBN|978-0-312-53240-6}}
  • Oliviero, Charles. (2022) Strategia – A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War. Toronto: Double Dagger. {{ISBN|978-1-990644-24-5}}
  • {{cite book | author = Sun Tzu | title = The Art of War | location = New York City | publisher = Barnes & Noble Books | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-59308-016-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/artofwar00sunz }}
  • Vego, Milan (2011). '[https://www.proquest.com/docview/877014867?parentSessionId=9ej9ozc1lzuzYwzDpB2GoQO8Z0qco%2FWiU4QZ34kKkI0%3D On Military Theory]', Joint Force Quarterly, Vol. 3, Issue 62, pp. 59–67.
  • Yarger, Harry R. (2006). Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy. Leavenworth: US Army War College War College Press. {{ISBN|1-58487-233-0}}

External links

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Theory