AUL LibGuides: SAASS Student Support AY25: SAASS 600

FOUNDATIONS OF MILITARY THEORY

Air University Library Course Support

FOUNDATIONS OF MILITARY THEORY
SAASS 600
25 July 2024 - 20 August 2024

"This course is a foundational one for the future strategist as it provides the opportunity for you to think through the answers to the following questions:

What is war? What purpose can and should it serve? What is war’s nature? What is war's character? What, if anything, causes that nature to change over time? Is war an art, a science, or both, neither?
Are military theories timeless or are they a product of their context? What drives the creation of theory? What makes for useful theory? What aspects of which theories endure and which no longer do?
What is strategy? Is strategy best conceptualized as a theory of victory, a plan to accomplish a goal, both, more? What separates effective from ineffective strategies? Why is strategy easy to comprehend in concept but difficult to do in execution?"

Some materials listed below require access to subscription databases. If you cannot gain access, contact your local library for availability. AU students and faculty can contact the Library's Database Request Page for a password.

Internet Resources

Listed below is on-line information about books and their authors used in this course.

Seminar One:

Ralph D. Sawyer Biography
The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China Review

Toshi Yoshihara Biography
"Sun Zi and the Search for a Timeless Logic of Strategy" (Book chapter from "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age")

Seminar Two:

Beatrice Heuser Biography
The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present Review

Beatrice Heuser Biography
"Christine de Pizan, the First Modern Strategist" (Book chapter from "Strategy Before Clausewitz: Linking Warfare and Statecraft, 1400-1830")

Christine de Pizan Biography
The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry Review

Seminar Three and Four:

Peter Paret   Biography
Gordon Alexander Craig     Memorial
Felix Gilbert     Obituary
Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age     Review 1     Review 2

Clausewitz
Clausewitz Homepage

A Wake for Clausewitz: Toward a Philosophy of 21st-Century Warfare
Part of Clausewitz Homepage

Seminar Five:

James Donald Hittle Biography
Introduction to Jomini"s The Art of War (Book chapter from "Roots of Strategy" Volume 2)

John Shy Biography
Jomini (Book chapter from Peter Paret, ed., "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age")

Jomini
Antoine Henri Jomini (From Encyclopedia.com)
Art of War Review (Scroll down to pg. 126)

Seminar Six:

John H. Maurer Biography
"Alfred Thayer Mahan and the Strategy of Sea Power" (Book chapter from "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age")

Mahan's Classical View and the Profession of Arms (scroll down to pg. 104)
by Donald D. Chipman

Alfred Thayer Mahan (from Encyclopedia.com)
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 Review

Seminar Seven:

Beatrice Heuser Biography
The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present Review

Julian S. Corbett Biography
Some Principles of Maritime Strategy Review

Seminar Eight:

Edward Warner Biography
Douhet, Mitchell, Seversky: Theories of Air Warfare (Book chapter from Edward Mead Earle, ed., "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: Military Thought from Machiavelli to Hitler")

Giulio Douhet (from Encyclopedia.com)

The Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet: A Military Times Classic
Article in Military History Matters

Seminar Nine:

Beatrice Heuser Biography
The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present Review

John Slessor Biography 1 Biography 2
Air Power and Armies Review Publisher Description

Seminar Ten:

Brian Bond
Martin Alexander
Liddell Hart and De Gaulle: The Doctrines of Limited Liability and Mobile Defense (Book chapter from Peter Paret, ed., "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age")

Seminar Eleven:

J.F.C. Fuller Biography
The Foundations of the Science of War

Brian Holden Reid
"Young Turks, or Not So Young?": The Frustrated Quest of Major General J.F.C. Fuller and Captain B.H. Liddell Hart (Journal Article)

Seminar Twelve:

J.C. Wylie Biography Article
Military Strategy: A General Theory of Power Control Review

Beatrice Heuser Biography
The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present Review

Colin S. Gray A Reminiscence
Keith Payne
Victory is Possible (Journal Article)

Seminar Thirteen:

Colin S. Gray A Reminiscence
The Strategy Bridge: Theory for Practice Review

Seminar Fourteen:

Sergei G. Gorshkov Article Biography (Britannica)
The Sea Power of the State

Vitaliy O. Pradun
From Bottle Rockets to Lightning Bolts -- China's Missile Revolution and PLA Strategy Against U.S. Military Intervention (Journal Article)

Seminar Fifteen:

Xiao Tianliang
The Science of Military Strategy

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