Shock and awe
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| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [ Rapid Dominance is a military doctrine that has as its main principles "overwhelming decisive force," "dominant battlefield awareness," "dominant maneuvers," and "spectacular displays of power" (also known as Shock and Awe) as a means of destroying an adversary's will to fight and adversely affecting the psychology and the will of the enemy to resist. The doctrine was written by Harlan K. Ullman and James. P. Wade and is a product of the National Defense University of the United States. The military operation named "Shock and Awe" signaled the beginning of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Debate exists as to whether or not this operation actually was a true Rapid Dominance campaign or truly elicited Shock and Awe.
Doctrine of Rapid DominanceRapid Dominance is defined by its authors, Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade, as attempting "to affect the will, perception, and understanding of the adversary to fit or respond to our strategic policy ends through imposing a regime of Shock and Awe."Harlan K. Ullmann and James P. Wade, [Shock And Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance] (National Defense University, 1996), XXIV. Further, Rapid Dominance will
Ullman and Wade identify four vital characteristics of Rapid Dominance: "near total or absolute knowledge and understanding of self, adversary, and environment; rapidity and timeliness in application; operational brilliance in execution; and (near) total control and signature management of the entire operational environment."Ullmann and Wade, Shock and Awe, XII. Shock and Awe is most consistently used by Ullman and Wade as the effect which Rapid Dominance seeks to impose upon an adversary. It is the desired state of helplessness and lack of will. It can be induced, they write, by direct force applied to command and control centers, selective denial of information and dissemination of disinformation, overwhelming combat force, and rapidity of action. Evolution from Decisive ForceThe doctrine of Rapid Dominance has evolved from the concept of Decisive Force. Ullman and Wade enumerate the elements between the two concepts in terms of objective, use of force, force size, scope, speed, causualties, and technique.Historical applications of Shock and AweUllman and Wade argue that there have been military applications that fall within some of the concepts of Shock and Awe. They enummberate nine examples.
Iraq WarBefore the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003, officials in the United States armed forces described their plan as employing Shock and Awe."[Iraq Faces Massive U.S. Missile Barrage]" (CBS News, 24 January 2003. During the war, however, Harlan K. Ullman, principal author of Shock and Awe, said the United States did not execute a Shock and Awe campaign.Paul Sperry, "[No shock, no awe: It never happened]", World Net Daily, 3 April 2003.Limited bombing began on 19 March 2003 as United States forces unsuccessfully attempted to kill Saddam Hussein. Attacks continued against a small number of targets until 21 March, when at 1700 UTC the main bombing campaign of the Coalition began. Its forces launched approximately 1700 air sorties (504 using cruise missiles)."[Operation Iraqi Freedom - By the Numbers]", USCENTAF, 30 April 2003, 15. Coalition ground forces had begun a "running start" offensive towards Baghdad on the previous day, attempting to strike quickly. Coalition ground forces seized Baghdad on 5 April, and the United States declared victory on 14 April. Whether or to what extent the United States fought a campaign of Shock and Awe is unclear by contradictory post-war assessments. Within two weeks of the United States' victory declaration, on 27 April, the Washington Post published an interview with Iraqi military personnel detailing demoralization and lack of command.William Branigin, "[A Brief, Bitter War for Iraq's Military Officers]", Washington Post, 27 October 2003. According to the soldiers, Coalition bombing was surprisingly widespread and had a severely demoralising effect. When United States tanks passed through the Iraqi military's Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard units outside Baghdad to Saddam's presidential palaces, it caused a shock to troops inside Baghdad. Iraqi soldiers said there was no organization intact by the time the United States entered Baghdad, and that resistance crumbled under the presumption that "it wasn't a war, it was suicide." In contrast, in an October 2003 presentation to the United States House Committee on Armed Services, staff of the United States Army War College did not attribute their performance to Rapid Dominance. Rather, they cited technological superiority and "Iraqi ineptitude.""[Iraq and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy]", presentation by the United States Army War College to United States House Committee on Armed Services, 21 October 2003. The speed of the Coalition's actions ("rapidity"), they said, did not affect Iraqi morale. Further, they said that Iraqi armed forces ceased resistance only after direct force-on-force combat within cities. Popular cultureFollowing the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003, the term "shock and awe" has been used for commercial purposes. The United States Patent and Trademark Office received at least 29 applications using "Shock and Awe."Robert Longley, "[Patent Office Suffers 'Shock and Awe' Attack]", About.com, 27 October 2003. The first came from a fireworks company on the day the United States started bombing Baghdad. The video game manufacturers Midway Games and Sony have attempted to use "shock and awe" in titles, but met with criticism. Miscellaneous uses of the term include golf equipment, an insecticide, a horse and a set of bowling balls called Shock & Awe and Total Shock & Awe by the company MoRich.See alsoReferences
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