Since mankind
began coalescing into larger and larger societies, they have formed groups or
castes of individuals to protect them from external pressures and dangers. These
individuals formed into armies capable of projecting their society’s power and
beliefs throughout their geographic region. As advances in technology continued
to expand their capabilities, several of these armies began to stand out from
their contemporary counterparts. Some of
the most notable throughout history are the Roman Empire, the hordes of Genghis
Khan, and more recently the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
Several critical factors, logistics, uniform training and tactics, and
multi-spectrum warfare, have made each of these fighting forces the most
powerful of their time.
The commonly used idiom, an army marches on its stomach, first attributed to the French General and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, underlines the importance of logistics in supplying a fighting force in the field. Armies of the Roman Republic and later the legions of the Roman Empire relied heavily on long lines of support from nearby cities and fortifications. These lines consisted of supply wagons transporting food, hay, leather, spare weaponry, and military communications. Without these critical lines of supply, a Roman legion in the field would be cut off and eventually annihilated. The hordes of Genghis Khan largely eliminated long supply lines by bringing entire nomadic cities with them wherever they advanced and conquered. This allowed them to rely on local, natural or captured resources to feed, clothe, and arm themselves. The American military has taken the complex logistical system to its extremes with the ability to transport large units of men and equipment thousands of miles away from their home bases around the world. This is starkly contrasted by the Romans who were limited hundreds of miles by man and horse-power versus the United States who can incorporate prepositioned ships, aircraft fleets and sophisticated transportation systems to supply units for long periods of time. These intricate logistical systems fail however if the army using them is not sufficiently trained and equipped.
The hallmark of an effective fighting force is the ability to train large numbers of men and women to fight in a unified system. This inclusive and uniform training regimen allows for units within a fighting force to operate independently while still keeping the ability to augment units in the surrounding area. This unified training is illustrated by observing late Roman military tactics. Each legion can be subdivided into several Cohorts, Centuries, and Contubernium. The ability to consistently train each subdivision of the legion allowed the entire army, sometimes multiple legions, to flow and adapt to the hectic movements of the battlefield. Their training, identical uniforms, armor, and weaponry allowed a legionnaire the ability to move from one unit to the next and still effectively operate with minimal additional training. In modern times, with the advent of mass production assembly lines, the uniformity of weaponry and uniforms has accelerated to the point of complete interchangeability. This is perfectly illustrated by the ability of a U.S. Army soldier and a U.S. Marine to take a critical part of their weapon, trade them, and still have two functioning weapon systems. Consistent training and logistical support are only truly effective on the battlefield when coupled with multispectral tactics and weaponry.
Multispectral tactics involves seamlessly combining weaponry from several different classes and then using them in combination with a variety tactics on the battlefield. Multispectral warfare can range from the use of arrows, catapults, infantry, and sea-faring vessels to aircraft, electronic-jamming, and satellite communications. Armies who only have the ability to project their combat power in one dimension will almost always fall to a multi-faceted force. Genghis Khan’s armies utilized fast moving cavalry, mounted archers, large numbers and psychological warfare to defeat their foes. By combining their attack from these varied fronts, Genghis Khan’s armies did not allow the enemy force to effectively counter and defeat any one his actions. Roman military tactics utilized a combination of advanced catapults and ballistae, infantry and cavalry formations, and complex battlefield maneuvers. This multifaceted approach permitted Roman legions freedom of movement and maneuver on the battlefield while simultaneously denying it to their enemies. With the advent of airpower and electronic warfare in the 20th century the idea of a multispectral battlefield has evolved to encompass every aspect of the modern conflict. Recent conflicts, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, involving attack aircraft, long-range missiles, massed ground formations, and pre-attack psychological warfare, showcased this modern multifaceted approach to combat and subsequently allowed the United States to quickly and efficiently defeat the enemy forces on the battlefield.
Any singular attribute, logistics, uniform training, or multispectral warfare, alone on the battlefield will fail in attaining victory for an army. However, when combined together, effectively and efficiently, any fighting force will achieve battlefield superiority and victory for their country. Throughout history there have been numerous nation-states, empires, republics, and kingdoms that have succeeded in effectively combining all of these interwoven factors. Building on the successes and failures of these peoples, the United States military has grown to become the modern-era’s most dominate and effective fighting force. This growth began in the early 1900’s as the United States fought in two world conflicts which forced a revolution in weaponry and tactics. Because the world is constantly changing, adapting, and evolving, the United States will have to continually shift and adapt its tactics in response to this rapid evolution of modern conflicts.
Keppie, Lawrence. The Making of the Roman Army: From Republic to Empire. University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Print.
de Hartog, Leo. Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1989. Print
The commonly used idiom, an army marches on its stomach, first attributed to the French General and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, underlines the importance of logistics in supplying a fighting force in the field. Armies of the Roman Republic and later the legions of the Roman Empire relied heavily on long lines of support from nearby cities and fortifications. These lines consisted of supply wagons transporting food, hay, leather, spare weaponry, and military communications. Without these critical lines of supply, a Roman legion in the field would be cut off and eventually annihilated. The hordes of Genghis Khan largely eliminated long supply lines by bringing entire nomadic cities with them wherever they advanced and conquered. This allowed them to rely on local, natural or captured resources to feed, clothe, and arm themselves. The American military has taken the complex logistical system to its extremes with the ability to transport large units of men and equipment thousands of miles away from their home bases around the world. This is starkly contrasted by the Romans who were limited hundreds of miles by man and horse-power versus the United States who can incorporate prepositioned ships, aircraft fleets and sophisticated transportation systems to supply units for long periods of time. These intricate logistical systems fail however if the army using them is not sufficiently trained and equipped.
The hallmark of an effective fighting force is the ability to train large numbers of men and women to fight in a unified system. This inclusive and uniform training regimen allows for units within a fighting force to operate independently while still keeping the ability to augment units in the surrounding area. This unified training is illustrated by observing late Roman military tactics. Each legion can be subdivided into several Cohorts, Centuries, and Contubernium. The ability to consistently train each subdivision of the legion allowed the entire army, sometimes multiple legions, to flow and adapt to the hectic movements of the battlefield. Their training, identical uniforms, armor, and weaponry allowed a legionnaire the ability to move from one unit to the next and still effectively operate with minimal additional training. In modern times, with the advent of mass production assembly lines, the uniformity of weaponry and uniforms has accelerated to the point of complete interchangeability. This is perfectly illustrated by the ability of a U.S. Army soldier and a U.S. Marine to take a critical part of their weapon, trade them, and still have two functioning weapon systems. Consistent training and logistical support are only truly effective on the battlefield when coupled with multispectral tactics and weaponry.
Multispectral tactics involves seamlessly combining weaponry from several different classes and then using them in combination with a variety tactics on the battlefield. Multispectral warfare can range from the use of arrows, catapults, infantry, and sea-faring vessels to aircraft, electronic-jamming, and satellite communications. Armies who only have the ability to project their combat power in one dimension will almost always fall to a multi-faceted force. Genghis Khan’s armies utilized fast moving cavalry, mounted archers, large numbers and psychological warfare to defeat their foes. By combining their attack from these varied fronts, Genghis Khan’s armies did not allow the enemy force to effectively counter and defeat any one his actions. Roman military tactics utilized a combination of advanced catapults and ballistae, infantry and cavalry formations, and complex battlefield maneuvers. This multifaceted approach permitted Roman legions freedom of movement and maneuver on the battlefield while simultaneously denying it to their enemies. With the advent of airpower and electronic warfare in the 20th century the idea of a multispectral battlefield has evolved to encompass every aspect of the modern conflict. Recent conflicts, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, involving attack aircraft, long-range missiles, massed ground formations, and pre-attack psychological warfare, showcased this modern multifaceted approach to combat and subsequently allowed the United States to quickly and efficiently defeat the enemy forces on the battlefield.
Any singular attribute, logistics, uniform training, or multispectral warfare, alone on the battlefield will fail in attaining victory for an army. However, when combined together, effectively and efficiently, any fighting force will achieve battlefield superiority and victory for their country. Throughout history there have been numerous nation-states, empires, republics, and kingdoms that have succeeded in effectively combining all of these interwoven factors. Building on the successes and failures of these peoples, the United States military has grown to become the modern-era’s most dominate and effective fighting force. This growth began in the early 1900’s as the United States fought in two world conflicts which forced a revolution in weaponry and tactics. Because the world is constantly changing, adapting, and evolving, the United States will have to continually shift and adapt its tactics in response to this rapid evolution of modern conflicts.
Keppie, Lawrence. The Making of the Roman Army: From Republic to Empire. University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Print.
de Hartog, Leo. Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 1989. Print
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