12:02AM
Brief Reminder: Vertical and horizontal scenarios
Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 12:02AM 
Just a straightforward rundown I used to do of the key differences between vertical and horizontal scenarios. I used these slides primarily in the first two years after 9/11 to explain some of the asymmetry between the way nonstate actors like to fight (drawn-out horizontal conflicts) and how organized militaries prefer to fight (the clearly-defined, short war of lightning strikes).
Reader Comments (3)
Dr. Barnett,
Did you reverse the last sentence in regards to nonstate actors versu organized militaries and their preference?
Thanks,
Tim
We fought WWII and Korea and Vietnam with draftees. Now we have a volunteer force. Since these long drawn out conflicts are never popular, will we ever see a return to the draft? The volunteer force is very costly. In WWII only 20% of the Marines had dependents. Today, 80% of the Marines have dependents.
Can the military continue to ask for "systems" that take years to develop, only to see the enemy changing, the battle space changing, and the expensive systems becoming out dated before they can be implemented?
My old artillery unit (105 mm) fired a round that cost $75.00 each. I thought that was a lot of money back in 1965. I just read about a 155 mm round that costs $39,000.00 each. Thirty nine thousand dollars! It is GPS guided. Very accurate. Limits civilian casualties. I don' know about that...I almost had a heart attack when I read about it.
Good catch Tim. Rushing out door for family vacation and typing with my usual dyslexic speed.