INTA 4803TP / 8803TP
©
Tom Pilsch
Habersham 141
pilsch@gatech.edu
"The Circle of Modern War" and logo
© Thomas D. Pilsch 2010
INTA 4803TP / 8803TP
©
A study of armed conflict in the 20th Century with emphasis on the
impact of technology and geopolitics on society and military science.
www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/INTA4803TP
"The Circle of Modern War" and logo
© Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2012
Today’s Session
• Introductions
• Background
• Course overview
• Rules of Engagement
• Lesson 1: Character of War
Course Objective
The successful student will gain the
historical foundation and framework to
support informed discussion and analysis
of modern warfare, its causes, conduct,
and consequences.
Secondary Objectives
• Teach social scientists and humanists
some technology
• Teach technologists some history
Why Do We Study History?
Those who cannot remember the past
are doomed to repeat it
George Santyana (1863-1952)
The Age of Reason, Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense, 1905
Why Do We Study History?
Those who cannot remember the past
are doomed to repeat it
George
Pilsch’sSantyana
Corollary(1863-1952)
The Age of Reason, Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense, 1905
The One Commandment
Non Sequitur, February 3, 2007
© Wiley Miller 2007
Why Do We Study History?
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.
Attributed to Samuel Clements (1835-1910)
Why Do We Study War?
“I must study Politicks and War that my sons may
have liberty to study Painting and Poetry
Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study
Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural
History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce
and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right
to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture,
Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.”
John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail
May 12, 1780
Full Document
Why Do We Study War?
"The student who reads history will unconsciously develop what is
the highest value of history: judgment in worldly affairs. This is a
permanent good, not because "history repeats" - we can never
exactly match past and present situations - but because the
"tendency of things" shows an amazing uniformity within any given
civilization. As the great historian Burckhardt said of historical
knowledge, it is not 'to make us more clever the next time, but wiser
for all time.'"
-Jacques Barzun,
Begin Here: The Forgotten Conditions of Teaching and
Learning
Why Are You Here?
While you may not be interested in war,
war is interested in you.
Attributed to Leon Trotsky
Why Am I Here?
“We never seem to learn the
lessons of war, do we?”
Student, Fall 2007
Why Am I Here?
One of you might become president
someday …
My
TheBiggest
Generation
Challenge
Gap
My Background
I experienced the second half of the
20th century …
… and want to pass along to others
some of the lessons (un)learned.
My Background
I experienced the second half of the
20th century …
Interesting Events
Interesting Places
Interesting People
Interesting Work
My Background
US Air Force Academy
My Background
College Summer Orientation
Interesting Events
JFK Funeral – November 1963
Interesting Work
Pilot Training
T-41
T-37
T-38
Williams AFB, AZ
Interesting Places
CFB Goose Bay, Newfoundland - February 1967
Interesting Places
Hué Vietnam 1968-1969
Interesting Work
Grad School
Assistant Professor
Aeronautics
Interesting Work
Flying
My Airplanes
Interesting Work
Aircraft Requirements & Acquisition
C-17 Globemaster III
Interesting People
Fort McPherson, GA - 1989
Interesting Work
Operations & Diplomacy
Azores Islands
Lajes Field
Interesting Work
Looking Glass
EC-135 – Offutt AFB NE - 1994
Current Interests
History & International Affairs
Technology & War
Rise & Fall of Empires
Geopolitics
The Role of China in all of this
About the Course
War is the ultimate
international affair
“Applied International Affairs”
About the Course
History of War
evolution of the character of armed conflict
vs.
Military History
a study of military science and the detailed conduct of war
A
Course Overview
• 30 meetings => 1:20 each
• No textbook => all readings online
• Lesson plans available at
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/INTA4803TP
Let’s Tour the Web site

Course Overview
• 30 meetings => 1:20 each
• No textbook => all readings online
• Lesson plans available at
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/INTA4803TP
• Reference resources available at
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~tpilsch/resources.html
Themes & Threads
• Circle of Modern War©
• Match/Mismatch between national objectives & national strategy
• Core technologies:
metallurgy, chemistry, physics, mechanics, electronics
• Core Weapons:
infantry weapons, artillery, naval armament, aircraft
• Logistics as the lynchpin of modern war
• Offense vs. defense
• Revolutions in Military Affairs (RMA)
Course Schedule
Lessons will be chronological , but …
there will be occasional diversions for emphasis
Desert Storm
War at the Dawn of the 20th Century
World War I
World War II
Cold War
Vietnam
A
Lessons
• Maxims of Moment
Maxims of Moment
“Nothing so comforts the military mind as
the maxim of a great but dead general.”
Barbara Tuchman
The Guns of August (1962)
Lessons
• Maxims of Moment
• Lesson Objectives
Lessons
Buzz Words alert
(important stuff!!)
• Maxims of Moment
• Lesson Objectives
• Study Guides
Significant source of quiz and exam questions.
Lessons
• Maxims of Moment
• Lesson Objectives
• Study Guides
• Assignments
Readings
Variety of Assignment Sources
• e-books
NetLibrary: http://www.netlibrary.com/Gateway.aspx
• Journal articles
JSTOR: http://www.library.gatech.edu/
Databases => Social Sciences => History => JSTOR
• Others
Organizational & Individual Web sites, War Gamers,
Re-enactors, NPS, Wikipedia, etc.
Syllabus
Rules of Engagement (ROE): Directives issued by competent military
authority which delineate the circumstances and limitations under which ...
forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces
encountered.
(Joint Publication 1-02)
Rules of Engagement
• Course overview
• Readings
• Grading
• Attendance
• Class Decorum
• Office Hours
A
Grading
(undergraduates)
Standard distribution:
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
< 60
Graded Factors & Value:
Quizzes
In-class Exams
Papers
Final Exam
A
B
C
D
F
10 %
30 %
30 %
30 % (inclusive)
Graduate Students
Let’s meet after this class
Attendance
Mandatory
Arrive on time!
Class Decorum
Office Hours
What time is best for most of you?
Suggest: Just about any time by appointment
(Just let me know you are coming)
Other Thoughts
Academic Integrity
• Work submitted for grade needs to be your own
• OK to discuss ideas for inclusion in a paper
• Actual writing must be your own
• Ideas of others must be documented
If you study together … don’t sit together during tests
Other Thoughts
Academic Integrity
Special Needs?
• Talk to me outside of class
Comments From Past Years
Comments from Past Years
“I really need the A in this class to balance out with
some of my harder [major] classes this semester … “
Comments from Past Years
“In one lesson you gave us three readings that each
came to a different conclusion. That’s not fair. Just
tell us what we need to know!”
Comments from Past Years
“There is a lot of material. I wish I had kept up.”
Questions?
INTA 4803TP / 8803TP
©
Tom Pilsch
CoC 112
tpilsch@cc.gatech.edu
"The Circle of Modern War" and logo
© Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2012
End
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Why Do We Study War?
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”
Attributed to Samuel Clements, 1835-1910
"It is not worth while to try to keep history
from repeating itself, for man's character will
always make the preventing of the repetitions
impossible."
Mark Twain, Eruption: Hitherto Unpublished Pages About
Men and Events, published 1940