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"....and .... a society which believes little is worth fighting for cannot, in the end, field an effective military."
Longish piece from Robert D. Kaplan ("Imperial Grunts"), and posted here because it talks about the US military, but interesting lessons/insights for other forces, too.
More here (permalink in .pdf format in case the first link disappears or expires).
Longish piece from Robert D. Kaplan ("Imperial Grunts"), and posted here because it talks about the US military, but interesting lessons/insights for other forces, too.
"Some truths are so obvious that to mention them in polite company seems either pointless or rude. What is left unstated, however, can with time be forgotten. Both of these observations apply today to the American way of war. It is obvious that a military can only fight well on behalf of a society in which it believes, and that a society which believes little is worth fighting for cannot, in the end, field an effective military. Obvious as this is, we seem to have forgotten it.
Remembering will help us in several ways. First, it will show us that the greatest asymmetry in our struggle with radical Islam is not one of arms or organization or even of ideology in any simple sense, but one of morale in the deepest sense. Second, it will provide an insight into the state of civil-military relations in our own country, which is a growing problem many of us refuse to acknowledge. And third, it will show us why some kinds of wars—“in-between” wars, I call them—have become inherently difficult for the United States to fight and win ...."
More here (permalink in .pdf format in case the first link disappears or expires).