This is a timely and richly researched topic at the forefront of strategic consideration. For those new to strategy, Iskander Rehman establishes the fundamentals of protracted wars and applies their relevance to current great-power tension. Rehman draws on the writings of Thucydides, Clausewitz, and Mao Zedong to weave a strategy thread through historical and current wars to explain protraction. He illustrates multiple case studies across the circumstances of protracted wars, deterrence, tactical techniques, innovation, and agility. Through this Rehman evaluates how the United States and China might approach a protracted Great-power war and where the relative strengths are.
This is a handbook to understand the underpinning theories of statecraft applied to the current global discord. Yet it also provides example and encouragement to the strength in tactical agility, resilience and supple adaptation. It balances between the statecraft required on the pre-determined road to war, but also choices of war. In particular, the author offers how statecraft can choose to cooperate with an opposing power, despite differences, yet hold its power status.
Rehman is contemporary in his consideration of the novel advantages the United States and China may hold across nuclear and cyberspace capabilities. He also considers current battlefield complexity by highlighting the role of non-state and para-state actors seeking opportunity because of, or supporting, the protracted war effort. This is a dense tapestry to evaluate who might become the victor and at what cost.
Historically, the outcome will either occur through the strategy of exhaustion or enacting a decisive end to the protracted conflict – all in order to target an adversary’s power centre to end a war. Both methodologies may end the war. Rehman offers that the underpinning success in protracted war will be a country’s socio-economic power and human resilience. However, the successor that inherits the great power may not have been an obvious participant in the war.
To understand this further, Rehman addresses the moral component of protracted warfare – including the cultural and political elements to the cost of long-term military operations. He describes the considerations and pressures that lead to acts of human suffering to gain an asymmetric advantage. This is not to serve as a blueprint, but to heed a warning to the future of conflict. As the author concedes, ‘Protraction also tends to breed brutality, whether through deliberate or inadvertent escalation’. Rehman explores examples of post-warfare power loss through the impacts on the social fabric including losses of will and national resource so significant neither great power is the victor. Thus leading to an unavoidable shift in global world order.
An important strength of great power protracted wars is the ability to draw on alliances and swing states. From the Punic Wars onwards, ‘each principle antagonist sought to fill key gaps in its force design with allies.’ Rehman explores a range of historical capabilities used to create a decisive advantage to end protraction. In an Australian context, this book is a thought provoking read to further consider our equities in this protracted circumstance – be it crisis, conflict, or competition. It is worth considering the antagonists use of regional diplomacy, influence, and coercion as a way of shaping a future battle space. What are our non-negotiables in a coalition, and will our social resilience prevail?
A short read of 139 pages with extensive footnotes for further individual research. This reading recommended for all ranks and experiences. The author’s writings provide excellent examples for individual reflection and ethical decision-making activities in the unit, as well as avenues of further research.
