Verified Document

Rupert Smith, The Utility Of Term Paper

And modern warfare, although it is less overt, is never-ending and demands constant intelligence-gathering. This kind of flexibility that challenges nations which would often prefer to be fighting 'the last war' they fought, rather than the current one. During the Cold War, both adversaries 'played by the same rules.' The Soviet Union was even more of a perfect model of an industrialized war society, in which all resources were focused upon defeating its main adversary at the expense of economically providing for its people. But after the dissolution of the bipolar balance of power, non-state actors could openly claim the loyalty of small bands of nationals and co-religionists within the fragmented new world order. Industrialized warfare came into being with the modern nation-state, with its capability of mobilizing large numbers of relatively expendable soldiers. These individuals were organized by a larger, centralized intelligence. Today, given that various non-state cells may not be in communication with one another, there is no overarching plan -- each battle, each small attack is equally important as...

The new war is local, not industrial.
Smith advocates shifting resources from industrialized manufacturing of weaponry, which he sees as needlessly expensive. He points out that almost all major powers in recent decades have shown few benefits in using their superior might in guerrilla situations. Smith demands a focus upon intelligence-gathering, flexibility of operations, and creating a more responsive army. Smith also places a great deal of emphasis on winning the hearts and minds of the people: both the public back home and the ordinary citizens on the ground. "We are now engaged, constantly and in many permutations, in war amongst the people," not industrialized war, he counsels in his conclusion (Smith 451). Learning about the people we fight, and responding to the demands of local battles rather than focusing on 'total wars' is demanded in the current situation in which the West finds itself.

Reference

Smith, Rupert. The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World. New York: Vintage

Books, 2007.

Sources used in this document:
Reference

Smith, Rupert. The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World. New York: Vintage

Books, 2007.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Authors Referenced Works Specific Recent Circumstances Discussed...
Words: 4784 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

Changing Nature of Warfare According to generals like Rupert Smith and David Petraeus, postmodern conflict is radically different from warfare between industrialized states, such as the American Civil War and the world wars of the 20th Century. It does not begin with a condition of peace or return to it after the total defeat of the enemy, but rather is a "continuous crisscrossing between confrontation and conflict," often with indecisive results

Warfare the More War Changes
Words: 4069 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

This will continue to be the case for the foreseeable decades as the United States fights wars that are so far not yet even imagined. If these wars have been fought (as many have suggested) over the presence of the scarce resource of oil, the next wars may be fought over the even more precious resource of water. Looking not too far into the future, the next wars may be

Analyzing Organization
Words: 3302 Length: 7 Document Type: Assessment

Radical Humanist Approach to Organizational Analysis Analyzing Organizations Company Patagonia is a small company that began by making perfect pitons for rock climbers. The company was founded by a band of climbers and surfers who lived the minimalist lifestyle they promoted. The company makes clothing and gear for the silent sports -- no motors or engines are involved -- of skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling, and trail running" ("Patagonia," 2012). For

Economic Model for Monopoly Analysis
Words: 14390 Length: 30 Document Type: Term Paper

The deal was immediately criticized as anti-competitive by William Kennard, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and by the Communications Workers of America, which represents some workers at both of the merged companies. But neither government regulators nor union bureaucrats will have the slightest impact on the latest merger. They have neither the power nor the desire to oppose the plans of the giant telecommunications monopolies. More substantial opposition

Railroad Industry the Modern Day
Words: 1567 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

" The U.S. railroads stated featherbedding bill figures to be approximately $500 million a year. (Time & CNN, 1959; paraphrased) Summary and Conclusion One cannot presume to visit any city or town in the United States in today's world without seeing or hearing a train as it chugs down the railroad tracks from one destination to another every busy. While not much attention is given to today's railroad companies, it is certain

Knowledge Management in the Automotive
Words: 4978 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Use of single version of the truth and single information Balanced set of strategic metrics (Financial and non-financial). New methods of cost accounting (ABC, Target Costing). Internal vs. External Focus (Benchmarking and Self-Assessment). Process Management and Measures (value delivery). Stakeholder value measures Uniform set of measures Causal relationships between measures across all levels. Source: Lieberman; (1994; et.al.). Automotive Industry Analysis Entering 2007 it is clear that Japanese firms, lead by Toyota, will be at parity with and potentially surpass the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now