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Annex A: Understanding History and War. Discussion, Study, and Examination Questions:

  1. What is history? Define history. What is the historian’s task? What is historiography? Is history a science? Is history an art? Explain. Delineate the major problems in writing history. What does an understanding of history and historiography tell us about humanity about ourselves? Who are the authors of the books used in this class? Given their backgrounds what problems might they have in writing an accurate narrative of, and explanation for specific events?
  2. What is war? What are the causes of war? Is man by nature warlike? Is it possible to end war? What is Hobbes’ thesis on human nature? Do you agree or disagree with his thesis? What is Rousseau’s thesis on human nature? Do you agree or disagree with his thesis? (See handout: “The Causes of War,” by Adrian R. Lewis)
  3. Who was Carl von Clausewitz? Delineate the five tenets of Clausewitz. Explain his concept of the total and limited war? World War II was the most total war in human history. Why? Explain Clausewitz’ thesis of the “remarkable trinity.” According to Clausewitz how do you win a war? Explain Clausewitz’ thesis on “friction,” “the center of gravity,” and the “culmination point.” Explain Clausewitz analytical tool on the levels of war.
  4. What is policy? What are political objectives? How are political objectives determined? What is strategy? How is strategy developed? What are the connections between policy and political objectives, political objectives and strategy?
  5. What is doctrine? What is the relationship between technology and doctrine? What were the most significant technological and doctrinal developments in the conduct of war in the twentieth century? How does doctrine influence strategy?
  6. Trace the evolution of military technology from the Civil War to World War II. Using technology explain the outcome of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. How did technological developments influence the conduct and outcome of each war?
  7. How did the relationship between technology and doctrine change after World War II? Why?
  8. What are “Joint Operations?” What are “Combined Operations?” Delineate the problems involved in conducting joint and combined operations. What is the Goldwater-Nichols Act? Why was it developed? What is the “Whole of Government” approach to war?
  9. Who was the father of modern strategic bombing doctrine? What exactly was his thesis on the role of the bomber in modern warfare? How did the British, Americans incorporate air war doctrine into their practices of war? Why did the British and Americans adopt strategic bombing doctrine, and why did the Germans, French, Italians, Russians, and Japanese fail to adopt it? Which air doctrine was most effective, the British or American? Why?
  10. Who was the father of modern naval warfare doctrine? What was thesis on naval power? Is it still valid today? If so, why? If not, why?
  11. Who are John Shy and Russell Weigley? What are their theses on the American way of war? Characterize and describe the traditional American Way of War. How did the American way of war influence the U.S. conduct in the post-World War II period?
  12. What is a state? What is a nation? Can a state fight total war? Can a nation fight total war? Explain. Consider Clausewitz’s “remarkable trinity.”
  13. What resources are required to achieve "superpower" status? What makes the United States a superpower? What made the Soviet Union a superpower?
  14. Civilian control of the military is a major tenet of the American, constitutional democracy. How did the founding fathers seek to insure civilian control of the armed forces? Are the measures they put into place still operative today? What changes have taken place to strengthen the system of civilian control? What are the repercussions of these changes? Does the system impede the ability of the United States to successfully fight war?

Identify and State the Significance of the Following Terms

  • Strategy
  • Doctrine
  • Policy
  • Generalship
  • Combat Power
  • Center of Gravity
  • Joint Operations
  • Combined Operations
  • The American Way of War
  • The levels of War
  • Command of the Air
  • “The Iron Triangle”
  • The National Security Act of 1947 and Amendment of 1949
  • The National Command Structure
  • National Strategy
  • National Military Strategy
  • The National Security Council
  • Limited War and Total War
  • The Trinity of War
  • CIA
  • President of the United States
  • Congress of the United States
  • Secretary of State
  • Secretary of Defense
  • The Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • Carl von Clausewitz
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Giulio Douhet
  • The Influence of Sea Power Upon History On War
  • The Military Industrial Complex

Annex B: The Cold War and Korean War. Discussion, Study, and Examination Questions:

  1. What was the "Cold War?" Describe and characterize the Cold War? Chronologically delineate the events that led to the Cold War. What are the major arguments on the causes of the Cold War? Which argument do you believe is most accurate? Why? When did the Cold War end? Explain the collapse of the Soviet Union?
  2. It is argued that nuclear technology revolutionized war. Did it? If so, how? Describe and characterize this revolution in warfare. How did the revolution in warfare influence the conduct of war in Korea and Vietnam?
  3. What is a limited war? What is the difference between limited war and total war? What is the difference between limited war and artificial limited war? Why does this matter?
  4. The 1947 National Security Act (along with the 1949 Amendments) created the national command structure of the United States, including the Department of Defense, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Air Force, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and other organizations, that saw us through the Cold War. How effective or ineffective was this structure and this form of organization? Describe this system. What did it create? What did it fail to create? What were its strengths and weaknesses? How did if function. What is the “Iron Triangle?” What was Eisenhower’s concern about the Iron Triangle? Was it a valid concern?
  5. Who was George Kennan, and what was the "Policy of Containment? How did Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, translate this policy into political objectives? What was the "Truman Doctrine?
  6. When and why was Korea divided into two states? Korea’s geographic location and circumstances is of strategic significance. Discuss and analyze the geography and terrain of Korea, in military terms: G-1 Personal, G-2 Intelligence, G-3 Operations, G-4 Logistics, and G-5 Civilian Affairs.
  7. Why did North Korea invade South Korea? What role did Stalin and the Soviet Union play? What role did Mao Zedong and the People’s Republic of China play? Delineate the various arguments on the causes of the Korean War and the influence of the two Communist leaders. How did the Korean War benefit Stalin and Mao?
  8. Why did the United States intervene in the Korean War? Delineate the arguments for and against intervention. Which argument do you believe would have best accomplished the political objectives of the United States? Explain your answer.
  9. What was the condition of the United States Army at the start of the Korean War? Was the Army prepared to fight? If not, why?
  10. What was the condition of the U.S. Eighth Army in Japan in 1949? Explain why the Eighth Army was in this condition. What was its primary mission? What was the organization of the U.S. Army?
  11. As a strategic commander analyze the geographic factors involved in the war in Korea. Why did Omar Bradley, Chairman of the JCS argue against the use of nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula?
  12. As an operational commander analyze the terrain on the Korean Peninsula. How does this terrain influence the conduct of operations? As a strategic commander analyze the geography of the Korean Peninsula. How does this geographic region influence the American conduct of war?
  13. Why was the Korean War so unpopular in the United States? Why did support of the American people deteriorate throughout the war? Why was Truman incapable of bringing the war to an end?
  14. Explain the outcome of the Korean War? Did the United States win or lose the Korean War? Delineate both arguments. Which argument do you believe is most accurate? How did the PRC, SU, US, ROK, and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) benefit from the war?
  15. Was the Korean War a limited or total war? Consider the war from the perspective of North and South Korea, from the perspective of China, and from the perspective of the United States and the Soviet Union.
  16. Define victory in the nuclear age. Characterize the dilemma facing the American people in the age of nuclear weapons. Have we seen the end of total war between the great powers of Earth?
  17. What was Eisenhower’s military policy and strategic doctrine? What was the thinking behind his “New Look?” How did Eisenhower plan to defend the U.S. and its interests? What was the argument against his strategic vision? Assess Eisenhower’s performance as leader of the “free-world.” Was Eisenhower bluffing?

Identify and state the significance of the following terms related to the Korean War and Cold War:

  • Revolution in warfare
  • Defense Intellectuals
  • Khrushchev
  • U-2
  • TRIAD
  • The Bomber Gap
  • The Missile Gap
  • Sputnik
  • Flexible Response
  • NSC 68
  • The New Look
  • Massive Retaliation
  • SAC
  • Berlin Blockade
  • Bernard Brodie
  • Paul Nitze
  • Pentomic Division
  • John Foster Dulles
  • USS Enterprise
  • MIRV
  • MAD, SALT
  • The Cuban Missile Crisis
  • J. Robert Oppenhimer
  • Suez Crisis, 1956

Annex C: The Vietnam War. Discussion, Study, and Examination Questions:

  1. Why was the Vietnam War so incomprehensible to most Americans? How did the Johnson Administration approach the Vietnam War in regards to the American people? Why did he use this approach? What were the results of this approach? Was Johnson's approach in keeping with the traditional American way of war?
  2. What were the causes of the American war in Vietnam? Why was the United States in Vietnam? Delineate three arguments that explain how the United States became involved in the Vietnam War. Which explanation do you believe is most accurate? Why?
  3. Who is Robert S. McNamara? How did he plan to win the war in Vietnam? Did we plan to win the war? What were the political objectives of the United States in Vietnam?
  4. Clausewitz noted that there are three ways to lose a war. What are they? Explain the concept of center of gravity. What do you believe was the center of gravity in the North Vietnamese war against the United States? Explain your answer. What do you believe was the center of gravity in the American war against the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong (NLF) in South Vietnam? Explain your answer.
  5. Characterize the geography and terrain of French Indochina and Vietnam. How did geography influence the conduct of the war?
  6. Describe the population of North and South Vietnam, socially, politically, and culturally. Was South Vietnam a nation, a state, or a nation-state? Why does this matter? What was the ethnic composition of South Vietnam? What was the religious composition of South Vietnam? What influence did social, political, and cultural factors have on the Vietnam War?
  7. Divide the American war in Vietnam into phases based on major changes or transitions in American strategy. Characterize each phase, and explain why the changes and transitions took place.
  8. Characterize the Vietnam War during the Advisory, Americanization, and Vietnamization phases. What was the war like for the soldiers and marines who fought the ground war? What was the war like for the Navy and Air Force pilots who fought the war in air?
  9. What is an insurgency? Describe and explain the Moa Zedong’s "People's War" strategy and doctrine. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach to war? Could the United States employ such a strategy? Why, or why not?
  10. What was North Vietnam’s strategy for the conduct of the war against the United States and South Vietnam? Who is Vo Nguyen Giap? What was his strategy for the conduct of the war against the United States and South Vietnam? What were the sources of his strategic thought?
  11. Describe and characterize the Vietcong. Who were they? What motivated them? How were they organized? How did they operate? How were they equipped? Under what command structure did they operate? What were their strengths and weaknesses? Why were they operationally and tactically more effective than the ARVN?
  12. What were the American political objectives in Vietnam during the Cold War? Did those objectives reflect America's security needs and interest? Why didn’t Eisenhower intervene with American forces in 1954? Why did Johnson intervene with American forces in 1964? What happened between 1954 and 1964 to change American strategy in Vietnam?
  13. What was the strategic doctrine of the United States in the 1960s? What was theater doctrine and strategy of the United States for the conduct of the war in Vietnam under the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon Administrations? Assess the strategy of each President. Why did they fail to achieve America's political objectives?
  14. Who is Harry Summer? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  15. Who is U.S.G. Sharp? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  16. Who is William Westmoreland? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain
  17. Who is George Herring? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  18. What was Eisenhower’s strategic doctrine in the 1950s? What was Eisenhower’s strategy for the war in Vietnam? Why did that strategy fail to achieve his political objectives?
  19. Why did President Johnson decide to Americanize the war in Vietnam? What was his strategy for the victory? What steps did he take to get American forces in combat? What was Johnson’s strategy for achieving victory in Vietnam? Who is George Ball, and what was his assessment of the Americanization of the war? What is your assessment of the way the United States went to war in Vietnam?
  20. What was Westmoreland's strategy for the conduct of the ground war in Vietnam? What was his operational doctrine? What were the problems with his tactical and operational approach to the war? Did the operations conducted under Westmoreland's command have the potential to achieve America's strategic, political objectives? Explain your answer.
  21. What was the Marines Corps strategy for the conduct of the ground war in Vietnam? What was its operational doctrine? What were the problems with this operational approach to the war? Did the operations conducted by the Marine Corps have the potential to achieve America’s strategic, political objectives? Explain your answer.
  22. What were the objectives of the American strategic bombing campaign, "Operation Rolling Thunder," against the North Vietnam? What was the airpower doctrine employed under the Johnson Administration? Was this doctrine in accordance with Air Force strategic bombing doctrine? Did the campaign achieve its objectives? Explain your answer.
  23. Define the term "unity of command." Did the United States follow this principle of war in Vietnam? What are the potential consequences for violating this principle of war?
  24. What influence did the legacy of French colonial rule have on the people of South Vietnam, and North Vietnam? How did this legacy affect the American war?
  25. What influence did the ubiquitous helicopter have on America's conduct of the war? What were the missions of the helicopter? Was the helicopter a tactical, operational, or strategic system? What contributions did the helicopter and airmobile/air assault doctrine make to the American war effort? Describe and characterize American airmobile operations in Vietnam.
  26. Characterize American tactics from 1965 to 1968, and from 1969 to 1972. Were these tactics effective? Why was there a change in tactics in 1969?

Identify and State the Significance of the following terms:

  • Viet Cong (VC)
  • PAVN 
  • NLF
  • ARVN
  • MAAG
  • ROK Army
  • Westmoreland
  • helicopter
  • John F. Kennedy
  • Ia Drang
  • Robert S. McNamara
  • Walt Rostow 
  • Cold War
  • Nation Building
  • Insurgency
  • Special Forces
  • Americanization
  • Ho Chi Minh
  • Richard M. Nixon 
  • Civil war 
  • Dean Rusk 
  • B 52
  • Vo Nguyen Giap 
  • Strategic doctrine 
  • Democratic convention, 1968
  • “The Best and the Brightest”
  • "The other war"
  • “Search and Destroy”
  • Tet Offensive
  • Ngo Dinh Diem
  • MACV
  • Harry S. Truman
  • Eisenhower
  • Maxwell Taylor
  • George Ball
  • "The Hearts and Minds"
  • “Rolling Thunder” Operatin
  • Pacification
  • Communism
  • Nationalism
  • Counter-insurgency
  • Guerrilla War
  • Vietnamization
  • Lyndon B. Johnson 
  • AK-47, M 16 
  • Conventional war
  • CAP
  • Enclave strategy  
  • "Flexible Response"
  • Strategic Hamlet Program
  • Frederick Weyand
  • My Lai
  • Graduate Response
  • Andrew Goodpaster
  • McGeorge Bundy
  • Khe Sanh
  • People’s War
  • Harold K. Johnson
  • Napalm
  • Hue
  • JCS
  • General Wallace Greene
  • Gulf of Tonkin Incident
  • People’s War  
  • Harold K. Johnson
  • Earle G. Wheeler
  • Harold D. Moore
  • Ulysses S. Sharp
  • Revolutionary war
  • Careerism vs. Professionalism
  • Attrition
  • Henry Cabot Lodge
  • Geneva Conference, 1954
  • Nguyen Cao Ky
  • Clark Clifford
  • Admiral David Lamar McDonald

Annex D: The Vietnam War. Discussion, Study, and Examination Questions:

  1. Assess the performance of the ARVN. How did ARVN units perform in combat against the Viet Cong and PAVN? What motivated the officer corps of the ARVN? Under what criteria were officers promoted? What motivated the individual soldier? Given your analysis explain why the combat effectiveness of the ARVN was considerably below that of the PAVN?
  2. What was Nixon’s strategy for the conduct of the Vietnam War? What were his objectives? What did victory look like to Nixon? Did Nixon’s strategy have the potential to achieve his political objectives?
  3. What was Vietnamization? Who put this strategy into practice and why? What did Vietnamization mean to Americans, South Vietnamese, North Vietnamese, the Chinese and the Soviets? What did Vietnamization mean to soldiers and marines fighting in South Vietnam?
  4. Why did the ARVN collapse so quickly after the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of the United States in 1972?
  5. Assess the performance of the government of South Vietnam in it goal to become a free, independent, democratic, capitalist nation state. What obstacles did the Saigon government face? Were the actions of the government in accordance with the goals delineated? Why or why not? Were the goals of the government of South Vietnam and those of the United States in accord, if so, in what way, if not, in what way?
  6. Were the strategies of the government of South Vietnam and the operations of the ARVN synchronized and coordinated with American strategies and forces? Explain your answer.
  7. What was the Tet Offensive? Describe and characterize the Tet Offensive. Was it successful, if so, in what way? What role did the American media play? Was the media the decisive element? Explain your answer.
  8. Why did the United States lose the Vietnam War? Delineate the major schools of thought/explanations for America’s defeat. Identify the primary authors of the major argument. Which explanation do you believe is most accurate? Why?
  9. Who is Harold Moore? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his thesis? Explain
  10. Who is Mark Moyar? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  11. Who is Richard Gabriel? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  12. Who is Vo Nguyen Giap? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  13. Who is Frances Fitzgerald? What is his argument on the causes of America’s defeat and North Vietnam’s victory? Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain.
  14. Characterize the "American Way of War." On what experiences is the American way of war based? Did the United States conduct the war in Vietnam in accordance with the traditional American way of war? Compare and contrast America's conduct of the Vietnam War with the traditional American approach to war. Account for the differences?
  15. What was the mission of the U.S. Army in Vietnam? How did this mission differ from that of previous wars? What experience did the United States have in carrying out the missions given it in Vietnam?
  16. What were the lessons of the Vietnam War? Are those lessons still valid? What did the war achieve?
  17. What was the significance of the Vietnam War? What influence did it have on the American people, the Armed Forces, the U.S. Government, and the role of the United States in world affairs?

Identify and State the Significance of the following terms:

  • Jane Fonda
  • Watergate 1973-1975
  • Creighton W. Abrams
  • Paris Peace Talks
  • Nguyen Van Thieu
  • U. C. Berkeley
  • Operation Phoenix
  • Henry Kissinger
  • Melvin Laird
  • War Powers Act
  • Kent State

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