The Vietnam War And The War Essay

From the giant gap between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War, there was a massive amount of time to prepare more weapons and technology use in the Army and any military program. In terms of resources, a large influence has been made to keep soldiers on the battlefield and even those behind desks working coordinates and maps for soldiers prepared and ready to fight. Unlike in the Vietnam War and Civil War where most times there were not enough supplies to continue the war and or just not enough charisma and enthusiasm to keep morale high, which eventually led to the end of both wars, the Afghanistan War carries much morale and supplies to finish the war. From the simple musket to the M16, to the wide variety of an arsenal the U.S. army now has at its disposal, this war is much better off than the last few we had encountered. The Afghanistan issue is a much more handled war than the other wars as well. With the fact that the U.S. Army is the most powerful military force in the world, it is an intimidating enemy. During the Vietnam War, we were powerful but unprepared. In the Civil War, both sides were powerful, but unprepared and unskilled in combat. Though combat is frowned upon by most people in the world, it has come a long way from the 100 year gap of wars fought with

When fighting the Vietnam War many did not think it possible for the United States to loose. Those fighting underestimated the power of the Viet Cong. With a foreign land and foreign customs Marines struggled to get accustomed to the way the war was fought. Philip Caputo addresses these learned lessons in A Rumor of War. Lessons that were learned in Vietnam also have relevance to the current war in Afghanistan. The men in both wars fought against an enemy that blends in with the locals. Philip Caputo’s first hand account of the Vietnam War shows the mistakes that were made and how those lessons taught the United States not to make the same mistakes in Afghanistan.

1. In President Obama’s speech at West Point, he announced that 30,000 additional troops would be sent to Afghanistan. He made this decision because he said it was vital to the United States’ national interest. The vital national interest at risk in President Obama’s address is the security and safety of the American people as well as the “security of our allies and the common security of the world.” By involving the military and increasing the troop strength, President Obama can achieve the objectives of his strategy. His objectives are to keep the Taliban from becoming powerful, prevent them from government rule, improve Afghanistan security forces and government so they can manage their own country and prevent Al Qaeda from

At the start of the new millennium, China became rapidly known as the fastest growing economy sparking the greatest shift of relative power in history. Coincidence, or not, Afghanistan’s narrow border with China made it a perfect strategic target to presume military presence within the Asian region. Arguably, the invasion of Afghanistan lays largely on a tactical plan designed by the US to resist

As early as the summer of 2002, the Taliban had initiated a small-scale offensive to overthrow Karzai’s government and coerce the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces, with the support of other anti-government force. By late 2003/early 2004, such violent efforts escalated into a low-level insurgency in rural areas of the east and south: The

After more than a decade of military intervention by the United States and NATO allies, Afghanistan remains an unstable and volatile country. Although the Afghan government officially controls most of the nation’s territory it has failed to garner the support of its people, many of whom continue to be threatened by Taliban forces. The Afghan military and security forces suffer from corruption and incompetence, undermining the rule of law and threatening stability. The goal of the United States and NATOs continuing involvement in Afghanistan is to maintain a democratic Afghan government and stability in the region, and as seen in the Vice News documentary “This Is What Winning Looks Like” signs of success are scarce.

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 1979, the goal was to help Afghan communist forces set up a communist government. The Soviet Union felt Afghanistan had key resources and a foothold in the Middle East to spread communist ideas. The result would be a war that the Soviet Union wishes it never got involved in and likened to their “Vietnam War”, meaning winning a number of battles but not the war like what happened to the U.S. in Vietnam. The background of the war, outcome of the war, and impact on the United States are key to understanding the Soviet-Afghan War.

Irregular warfare has become the centre of much military and academic study in recent years, due mostly to the ongoing NATO operations in Afghanistan. However irregular warfare is by no means a recent revelation in the evolution of warfare and strategy, numerous examples exist throughout history in which irregular warfare tactics and strategy have been adopted and later analysed by academics and military professionals. This author will focus on the key issues that governments face in creating effective strategies for irregular warfare with a particular emphasis on counter-insurgency (COIN) and terrorism. Resources such as time, space, legitimacy and support present themselves as key issues in dealing with insurgency and terrorism and are

In the middle 1960s, every male in America had to register for Selective Service Draft at age 18. He would then be eligible for the draft and could be inducted into the Army for a period of two years. If you were a college student, you could receive a deferment and would be able to finish college without the fear of being drafted. However, once finished with college, a students name would be put to the very top of the draft list and could be deployed at anytime. The anti-war movement was about young men being drafted and then sent into war that most Americans did not believe threatened the security of the US. The Vietnam War was America’s rebellious war, a war without popular support

Afghanistan is unique in its military history due to the fact that it has never been successfully conquered or invaded, and the country has seemed to be in conflict consistently since before it was even established as Afghanistan. Different cultures and regimes have tried to lay claim to Afghanistan by conquering its terrain and people, but all attempts, thus far, have been unsuccessful. The following section of research will contain dated subsections briefly covering the military history of Afghanistan over the past 178 years.

Ask a random American what they know about Afghanistan and you may notice a look of perplexity befall upon their face. Most Americans aren’t very familiar with Afghanistan. Other than the ongoing “war on terror” in Afghanistan the knowledge of the country is shallow at best. Even retired general Stanley McChrystal admitted this much according to a 2011 article where he is quoted as saying, "We didn't know enough and we still don't know enough. Most of us, me included, had a very superficial understanding of the situation and history, and we had a frighteningly simplistic view of recent history, the last 50 years." (Walsh, Declan) Aside the fact that the US is involved in an ongoing military operation in Afghanistan another thing which some

Afghanistan has been considered a land of violence and discontent for much of its history. The government always seems to be in disorder, and its people never seem completely happy. Because of this image of being unfit to control its own affairs, the international community has long been involved in the history of Afghanistan. The world intervenes in Afghan conflicts and works to keep the country in order. Sometimes the outside assistance is advantageous to the Afghan people, but at other times it is unnecessary and only creates more problems. In this paper I will examine the prominent role of the international community throughout Afghanistan’s history. I will begin with

War is defined by the Webster dictionary as “a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations”, this definition does not apply to the current war in Afghanistan. This war has been one of the most controversial wars in United States history,with one of the biggest issues being how Afghanistan is being effected since it is not a part of the war as much as a platform where it is taking place. For all the confusion, destruction, and loss during a war there is a bright side in the unification and advancement of both technology and civil practices. This war has been no different in the fact that technology has advanced exponentially, and the world has begun to truly understand the customs and practices of the Middle Eastern States. The improvement of technology has allowed the building of better agricultural equipment, which has in turn given rise to better agricultural practices. Another thing that has changed both with a change in personnel and a change in policies is the government of Afghanistan. The main driving force for the change being seen is by the young people of Afghanistan who want the culture to evolve in a more global manor. When all of these changes are looked at as a whole instead of individually there is a clear trends that shows the growing economy of Afghanistan increasing at the highest rate in 100 years. This paper will explore all of the issues and outcomes stated above using Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of culture and

A country’s government should seek to afford rights that provide protection and resolve conflicts for its people. Identifying necessary fundamental rights, and more so incorporating those rights, have proven to be a difficult task for the Afghanistan Parliament, as they continually struggle to resolve conflict in the region. Attempts to establish an Afghanistan parliament have subsequently failed to resolve the reoccurring conflicts that have plagued the region for ages. Taliban and Al Qaeda forces have proven relentless in their efforts to spread hatred over the years. Nonetheless, Taliban and al-Qaeda forces are no match for the highly skilled forces of America and its allies, who have played a vital role in the dismantling of, and essentially the fall of the Taliban government over several wars.

An insurgency is defined by the United States government as ‘the organised use of subversion and violence to seize, nullify or challenge political control of a region’. Insurgencies have been present throughout history as a form of warfare, however combatting an insurgency has always been difficult even in the modern era. In recent operations in Afghanistan, religious extremism and ethnic intolerance have given rise to fanatical groups that pose complex challenges which threaten social and political stability. These group utilise all available means in order to gain an advantage as they struggle for “the acceptance by the people of the state or region of the legitimacy of one side’s claim to power”. Results of this include the exploitation of the Laws of Armed Combat (LOAC) and the rules of engagement (ROE) used by COIN forces.