Barry R. Posen explores how military doctrine takes shape and the role it plays in grand strategy―that collection of military; economic; and political means and ends with which a state attempts to achieve security. Posen isolates three crucial elements of a given strategic doctrine: its offensive; defensive; or deterrent characteristics; its integration of military resources with political aims; and the degree of military or operational innovation it contains. He then examines these components of doctrine from the perspectives of organization theory and balance of power theory; taking into account the influence of technology and geography.Looking at interwar France; Britain; and Germany; Posen challenges each theory to explain the German Blitzkrieg; the British air defense system; and the French Army's defensive doctrine often associated with the Maginot Line. This rigorous comparative study; in which the balance of power theory emerges as the more useful; not onlyallows us to discover important implications for the study of national strategy today; but also serves to sharpen our understanding of the origins of World War II.
#167672 in Books Cornell University Press 1996-04-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .91 x 6.08l; 1.21 #File Name: 0801483115408 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Mark WinsteadWorked like a charm. Thick enough to be effective0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Bob GibsonAwsome0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Great BookBy LJExcellent book on US bombing strategy throughout the years (from second world war to the cold war and beyond). Good narrative and thoughtful opinions.
