Robert Leonhard

Attrition warfare is to grind down the enemys forces until you can impose your will on him. Maneuver warfare is the means of using force at the right point and time, accomplishing a goal.

Robert R. Leonhard has written a book questioning the US strategies in case of a WWIII in Europe. He does this by telling what maneuver warfare is, and where it comes from. What the problems with attrition warfare is and why it can't be used against the Russians in case of WWIII (as the US military had prepared for with heavy tanks, bombers etc).

He brings up examples of WWII where the Germans used maneuvering to go far behind enemy lines, achieving objectives instead of grinding soldiers and machinery.

He asks if America has learned nothing since WWII? Attrition warfare is expensive, slow and has been made obsolete by maneuver warfare. Time to devise new tactics and invest in new kinds of war machines, where speed could be more important than armor in achieving military and (thus) political goals.… (mehr)