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Military theory

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Study of the theories of war and warfare

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Military theory is the study of thetheories which define, inform, guide and explainwar andwarfare. Military theory analyses bothnormative behavioral phenomena andexplanatory causal aspects to better understand war and how it is fought.^[1] It examines war and trends in warfare beyond simply describing events in military history.^[2] While military theories may employ thescientific method, theory differs frommilitary science. Theory aims to explain the causes for military victory and produce guidance on how war should be waged and won,^[3] rather than developing universal, immutable laws which can bound the physical act of warfare or codifying empirical data, such as weapon effects, platform operating ranges, consumption rates and target information, to aid military planning.

Military theory is multi-disciplinary drawing onsocial science andhumanities academic fields through the disciplines ofpolitical science,strategic studies,military studies andhistory. It examines the nature of war, and the conclusions of wars.^[4]

Military philosophy likewise studies questions such as the reasons to go to war,jus ad bellum, and just ways to fight wars,jus in bello. Two of the earliest military philosophers date from antiquity;Thucydides andSun Tzu.^[5]^[6] While military theory can informmilitary doctrine or help explainmilitary history, it differs from them as it contemplates abstract concepts, themes, principles and ideas to formulate solutions to actual and potential problems concerning war and warfare.^[7]

Use of military theory

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Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote,

'The primary purpose of any theory is to clarify concepts and ideas that have become, as it were, confused and entangled. Not until terms and concepts have been defined can one hope to make any progress in examining the questions clearly and simply and expect the reader to share one's views.'^[8]

Military theory informs the political, strategic, operational and tactical levels of war.^[9] It does so by contributing to knowledge on the subjects of war and warfare. This aids in understanding why and when force is used and what forms the use of force may take. It also aids in identifying and explaining practical outcomes to help determine how force may be applied.^[10] Military theories can be divided into several categories, such asoperational theory andtactical theory.^[11]^[12]^[13] They may also be categorised by environment or domain, such asspace power or astronautics.^[14]

References

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Notes

^Angstrom, Jan and, Widen, J.J. (2015).Contemporary Military Theory: The Dynamics of War. New York: Routledge. pp. 4–9.ISBN 9780203080726.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Lider, Julian (1983).Military Theory: Concept, Structure, Problems (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1–5.ISBN 9780312532406.
^Angstrom and Wider.Contemporary Military Theory. pp. 8–9.
^Lider, Julian (1980)."Introduction to Military Theory".Cooperation and Conflict.XV (3):151–168.doi:10.1177/001083678001500303.JSTOR 45083282.
^Thucydides (June 1998).The Peloponnesian War. Hackett.ISBN 978-1-60384-805-3.
^Sunzi (7 June 1996).The Complete Art of War. Basic Books.ISBN 978-0-8133-3085-3.
^Angstrom and Wider.Contemporary Military Theory. pp. 4–6.
^von Clausewitz, Carl (1976). tr. Michael Howard and Peter Paret (ed.).On War (Indexed ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 132.ISBN 9780691018546.
^Gray, Colin S. (2010).The Strategy Bridge-Theory for Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 14–15.ISBN 9780199579662.
^Evans, Michael (2004)."The Continental School of Strategy: The Past, Present and Future of Land Power"(PDF).Australian Army Research Centre. pp. 17–9. Retrieved9 August 2023.
^Oliviero, Charles (2022).Strategia – A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War (1st ed.). Toronto: Double Dagger. pp. 11–13.ISBN 9781990644245.
^Yarger, Harry R. (2006).Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy. Leavenworth: US Army War College War College Press. pp. 8–9.ISBN 1584872330.
^Vego, Milan (2011)."On Military Theory".Joint Force Quarterly.3 (62):59–67.ProQuest 877014867.
^Evans, Michael.The Continental School of Strategy. pp. 10–11.

Bibliography

Angstrom, Jan and Widen, J.J. (2015)Contemporary Military Theory: The Dynamics of War. New York: Routledge.ISBN 978-0-203-08072-6
Clausewitz, Carl von (1976).On War. Edited and translated byMichael Howard andPeter Paret (Revised 1984 ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.ISBN 0-691-05657-9.
Evans, Michael, (2004),Land Warfare Studies Centre Study Paper No. 305,The Continental School of Strategy: The Past, Present and Future of Land Power, Canberra: Land Warfare Studies Centre.ISBN 0642296014.
Gray, Colin S. (2010).The Strategy Bridge-Theory for Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-957966-2
Lider, Julian (1980). 'Introduction to Military Theory',Cooperation and Conflict, XV, 151–168.
Lider, Julian (1983).Military Theory: Concept, Structure and Problems (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN 978-0-312-53240-6
Oliviero, Charles. (2022)Strategia – A Primer on Theory and Strategy for Students of War. Toronto: Double Dagger.ISBN 978-1-990644-24-5
Sun Tzu (2003).The Art of War. New York City: Barnes & Noble Books.ISBN 978-1-59308-016-7.
Vego, Milan (2011). 'On Military Theory',Joint Force Quarterly, Vol. 3, Issue 62, pp. 59–67.
Yarger, Harry R. (2006).Strategic Theory for the 21st Century: The Little Book on Big Strategy. Leavenworth: US Army War College War College Press.ISBN 1-58487-233-0