Other People's Wars

SECURITY STUDIES MILITARY HISTORY "Sterling's use of military history is specific, conceptually clear, and purposeful. And quite well done. He shows where, at key moments like the lead-in to the American Civil War, lessons from earlier battles in faraway lands were used to inform new weaponry, tactics, and operational concepts for those preparing for future wars. Alas, much of the story here is also how many lessons often go unlearned—with tragic results in ensuing conflicts."
—MICHAEL E. O'HANLON, senior fellow and director of research, Foreign Policy program, Brookings Institution "An impressive and detailed historical overview for both the general and professional reader. . . . A readable, coherent, and well-argued synthesis of the lessons the US military learned (and ignored) observing the conflicts outside its borders."
—BRIAN McALLISTER LINN, professor of history and Ralph R. Thomas Class of 1921 Professor in Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University
Preparing for the next war at an unknown date against an undetermined opponent is a difficult undertaking with extremely high stakes. Even the most detailed exercises and wargames do not truly simulate combat and the fog of war. Thus, militaries throughout history have studied foreign wars as a valuable source of battlefield information beyond their own combat experience. The effectiveness of this learning process, however, has rarely been evaluated across different periods and contexts. Through a series of in-depth case studies of the US Army, Navy, and Air Force, Brent L. Sterling creates a better understanding of the dynamics of learning from "other people's wars," determining what types of knowledge can be gained from foreign wars, identifying common pitfalls, and proposing ways to maximize the benefits for doctrine, organization, training, and equipment. Other People's Wars explores major US observation missions and post-conflict investigations at key junctures: the Crimean War (1854–56), Russo-Japanese War (1904–5), Spanish Civil War (1936–39), and Yom Kippur War (1973). Based on his findings, Sterling outlines a process that emphasizes comprehensive qualitative learning to foster better military preparedness and adaptability. BRENT L. STERLING is an adjunct professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is the author of Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? What History Teaches Us about Strategic Barriers and International Security. He has spent the past thirty years as a defense analyst, including positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and consulting firms that support the US Department of Defense.

Brent L. Sterling is an adjunct professor at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is the author of Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? What History Teaches Us about Strategic Barriers and International Security (Georgetown University Press, 2009). He has spent the past thirty years as a defense analyst, including positions at the Central Intelligence Agency and consulting firms that support the US Department of Defense.