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Modern war is already just missiles or guerrilla warfare and the like. The last full-scale war between two powers was WWII, before missiles and nuclear weapons.
by arikrak 12y ago
Modern war is already just missiles or guerrilla warfare and the like. The last full-scale war between two powers was WWII, before missiles and nuclear weapons.
- stcredzero 12y agoMany aspects of the Korean War still resembled WWII warfare. The numbers fielded on each side were into 6 and 7 figures. The land area that was involved is comparable to that of major european nation states. I'd say that this was in many ways a full-scale war, "police action" moniker notwithstanding. Then again, there were limitations on the use of air power to limit escalation, so it was certainly not a state of "total war."
- gaius 12y agoMany aspects of Gulf War 1 still resembled WWII warfare... Can you say "blitzkrieg"?
- stcredzero 12y ago"Blitzkrieg" has simply become the standard way to invade territory on large scales and unbalance a large enemy force. Patton had adopted it wholesale.
- Tloewald 12y agoGulf War 1 was characterized chiefly by misdirection, which is as old as warfare. The US conspicuously built up and prepared for an offensive against the Kuwaiti border, and then even faked an amphibious assault, then bypassed everything.
- Tloewald 12y agoExactly -- drones firing missiles and asymmetrical warfare. Warfare has usually been asymmetrical. We're a bit biased because of emphasis on recent western wars, but historically most wars have been fought between different technologies and doctrines. And asymmetries are likely to be far greater in future. Incidentally the US navy has been experimenting with drone submarines as torpedo launch platforms for decades, so it's underwater too.