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Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990
Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990
Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990
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Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990

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The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at the end of 1979 was, in many respects, a milestone in Soviet history. On the one hand it represented the high-water mark of Soviet intervention in Third World states and thus served as the archetypical example and justification for the intensification of the cold war in the early 1980s. On the other hand, the ultimate defeat and poor performance by this military in Afghanistan was one of the key forces that triggered the drive for a comprehensive reform of the entire Soviet national security system and its decision-making structures. Thus this war had profound domestic and foreign repercussions.
This analysis focuses on the purely operational and strategic lessons of the war. It insists that lessons of these kinds were present and that they offer significant insights both for such wars in general and for the course of Soviet military developments in the 1980s and 1990s. These lessons also offer important clues concerning the reforms required in order to preserve democratic civilian control over the military. It should also alert analysts everywhere as to the nature of local wars in the Third World in the 1990s, a phenomenon that shows little sign of abating. Though in many ways like all wars, this war was unique; it was not merely a series of random tactical exercises that were ultimately futile. Rather, like all wars, it shows us something of the shape of our present and future, if we are only insightful enough to understand it correctly.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 15, 2014
ISBN9781782896630
Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990

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    Operational And Strategic Lessons Of The War In Afghanistan, 1979-1990 - Dr Stephen J. Blank

    This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

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    Text originally published in 2000 under the same title.

    © Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

    Publisher’s Note

    Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

    We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

    AFGHANISTAN AND BEYOND: REFLECTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF WARFARE

    by

    Stephen J. Blank

    FOREWORD

    This report provides an historical analysis of lessons from one of the most important wars of the 1980s, the war in Afghanistan. After reading this study, you will better understand the nature of operations other than war in multiethnic states. Many fear that these wars will set the paradigm for wars in the 1990s and will exert pressure on U.S. forces to conduct peacekeeping, peace-enforcement and humanitarian assistance operations in especially dangerous areas. Yugoslavia and Somalia, each in their own way, bear out the ubiquity of these wars and the pressures on the United States to act.

    This report will, of course, contribute to the body of material dealing with the war in Afghanistan. More importantly, it increases understanding of future wars, particularly these types of wars, so that policymakers and analysts alike will better appreciate their military and political aspects. In turn, we may devise mechanisms either to forestall and avert them, or to bring them to the speediest possible conclusion. Alternatively, should those mechanisms fail and troops have to be committed, this and future analyses will enable commanders to have a better grasp of the nature of the war they will fight. In either case, understanding the war and the theater should facilitate a solution more in keeping with U.S. interests and values.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

    BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR 6

    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

    AFGHANISTAN AND BEYOND:  — REFLECTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF WARFARE 8

    The Initial Period of the Afghan War and Low-Intensity Conflict. 8

    Soviet Failure and the Lessons of That War. 13

    Lessons for the Wars of the 1990s. 18

    Operational and Strategic Lessons for the U.S. Forces. 20

    REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 29

    BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR

    STEPHEN J. BLANK has been an Associate Professor of Russian/Soviet Affairs at the Strategic Studies Institute since 1989. Prior to this appointment Dr. Blank was Associate Professor for Soviet Studies at the Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base. Dr. Blank’s M.A. and Ph.D. are in Russian history from the University of Chicago. He has published numerous articles on Soviet military and foreign policies, notably in the Third World, and is the author of a forthcoming study of the Soviet Commissariat of Nationalities and editor of books on Soviet foreign policies in Latin American and

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