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Re: Just how would you defeat ISIS?
Dear Richard,
We do not have to agree, of course. I would respectfully note that my points directly addressed your comments and related themes. Below is a brief summary of what I think are the most immediate paralles between the ISIS campaign and the Second World War and how these parallels can be applied to the planning of a more effective campaign:
1. The Second World War was entirely unnecessary, just like the present conflict. Both could have been avoided through the united action of Western democracies. This is the most pressing need now, both in a political and military sense.
2. The German victories on the ground and in the air from 1939 to mid-1942 were largely a consequence of the weakness of Western defences. The West must arm, and arm now!
3. The most effective military arm is the air force, as amply demonstrated by the events of the Second World War. Air forces possess speed, range and firepower that ground and naval force cannot possibly match. In the modern day, air forces are augmented by space and cyber technologies, so they have become even more powerful.
4. Firepower delivered from the air, including strategic bombardment, paralyses enemy forces and has an extremely severe effect on the enemy's resources, forcing him to concentrate on defences and concealment. As has been discussed in some of the posts above, the oil and transportation campaigns of the war can be repeated in the present.
5. Air power, like all forms of military power, can only be effectively applied with speed and unity of purpose. This does not just mean unified command, as was the case both in the war and now. It also means unity in the execution of military operations. Such unity would resemble that achieved by the Allies in Tunisia in March and April 1943, when Anglo-American forces advancing on two distinct fronts closely and direclty supported one another.
Regards,
Paul
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