Will the US Way of War Work in Gaza?
Published 10/20/23 09:00 AM ET
Harlan Ullman
The United States has a unique way of waging war. Simply put, it relies on a combined joint force operating across the sea, air, land, undersea, cyber and space domains, which it will dominate, achieving superiority over possible adversaries. This requires fielding the most technically advanced weapons and sensor systems, integrated and coordinated with its naval, air, land and space forces.
Furthermore, the U.S. has often tried to impose its way of war on friends and partners that did not possess these levels of technology. The U.S. tried this in Vietnam. While that was a counter-insurgency war, the North Vietnamese finally won using conventional land, and not guerrilla, forces.
The U.S. repeated this in Afghanistan, despite the cultural divides that were centuries apart. I recall visiting the grand opening of the training academy in Kabul for junior and non-commissioned officers. The first requirement was to use indoor plumbing, which was foreign to most. When the U.S. withdrew in 2021, that included contractors.
Contractors were responsible for keeping the Afghan military functioning. They ran training, maintenance for weapons systems such as helicopters and armored vehicles, and all communications and most logistics. With their removal, the Afghan military had no chance of remaining a functioning or fighting force.
https://themessenger.com/opinion/gaza-hamas-israel-urban-warfare-military-strategy
