Cultural Shifts and Evolution in Warfare Techniques

The ends, or goals and aims, which are fought for, have changed. The goals and means of conflicts today are much different from those of the past. Peter Kiss, a scholar on asymmetric conflict, commented that tactics of the first and second generation of fighting were mainly linear tactics from a large army against another army on a defined battlefield. This type of war peaked in World War I, and gave way to the third generation of warfare, which is synonymous with nonlinear techniques of tricking the enemy. This type of warfare was at its height in 1967 and 1973 with the victories of the Israeli forces.

The real reason that this is important is because of a point Thomas Hammes, a retired U.S. Marine officer, made. Hammes made the point that the type of war used in each generation has changed because of political, social, and economical developments in the world. Political, social, and economical developments can also be referred to as “cultural developments.” This means the culture of the world is changing, and with culture change, a paradigm shift in warfare is present.

Today, culture is the main

Wars are now fought with media coverage. In American culture, it is common to watch the media cover current international conflicts. This coverage is broadcasted into the homes of millions of viewers in America every night. Today, each American knows the military strategy of the United States and can make assumptions on the correct strategy to use. The citizens then vote for the people who will make policy decisions in the future. This culture also puts pressure on policymakers to make decisions on who and what to attack. These decisions affect their jobs immensely because they rely on votes to keep their jobs. The culture and overall beliefs of America will determine who is elected, and policy decisions are made because of this factor, portraying the influence of the culture of