For several years U.S. policymakers, officials, and writers on defense have employed the terms “asymmetric” or “asymmetry” to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. The author challenges the utility…
The author uses a detailed assessment of the Russian experience in Afghanistan and Chechnya to draw important conclusions about asymmetric warfare. He then uses this to provide recommendations for the U.S. military, particularly the Army. Major Cassidy points out that…
In the past half-century, the classic military conflict of armies maneuvering in the field has been replaced by conflicts that center on, rather than avoid, heavily populated areas. Modern military conflict more frequently is not just a fight to control…
Since the mid-1990s, the concept of strategic asymmetry has begun to receive serious attention from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review, for instance, stated, “U.S. dominance in the conventional military arena may encourage adversaries to…
This report gives a simple and comprehensive definition of strategic asymmetry reflecting the need for military doctrine which transcends today’s specific issues. The authors assess the strategic situation of the United States in terms of positive and negative asymmetry and…
The combination of a congressionally-mandated Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), a change of presidents, and shifts in the global security environment will force or allow American strategists to rethink some of the basic elements of U.S. strategy and decide if any…