Unorthodox Thoughts about AsymmetricWarfare
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20139290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Montgomery C Meigs (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2003-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The US Army War College Quarterly Parameters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-1723 • E-ISSN: 0031-1723 |
| Publisher | United States Army War College Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.55540/0031-1723.2149 |
| OpenAlex | W154365379 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
Bad terminology is the enemy of good thinking." -Warren Buffett 1 I n the last few years the use of nerve agent in the Tokyo subway by Aum Shinrikyo and al Qaeda's offensive leading to its 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon forced us to reevaluate the threat of terrorism to our art of operations. As a term of art, asymmetric warfare now dominates public attention. But many use the term with little understanding of its operational meaning. In this new strategic environment we had best heed the admonition of Mr. Buffett, the Sage of Omaha, and agree on a set of definitions that will provide our tools for analysis. In preempting the terrorist are we really dealing with asymmetry, or is something else at work? Thinking of the threat as only asymmetric misses the mark, especially if we have the concept wrong. The combination of asymmetry and the terrorists' ability continually to devise idiosyncratic approaches presents our real challenge. Assessing the distinction and interrelationship between these two factors provides us with the initial understanding required to address the operational challenges
Political science · European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies · Law · Military History and Strategy · Military Strategy and Technology
| Citations per year | 0.23 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2004 - 2025 (22) |
| Highly cited | No |