Blue Helmets: The Strategy of U.N. Military Operations
Another contribution to the burgeoning literature on peacekeeping as a military problem. A clear and interesting work, sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army, it makes the now conventional distinction between traditional and second-generation peacekeeping -- the latter being more "bellicose and complex." of greatest utility, in addition to a good bibliography and a generally sound narrative, is the exploration of the organizational aspects of U.N. peacekeeping operations. The author concludes that the United Nations should not be expected, or asked, to conduct real military operations. This is, therefore, a muted plea for leaving peace operations that might entail fighting to national armies and traditional coalitions.
Related
The tools and techniques for waging war never stand still, but these are the early days of a revolution in military affairs as momentous as those wrought by the railroad and the airplane. This newest transformation is a consequence of developments in civilian society including the information revolution and postindustrial capitalism. Its satellite imagery and smart bombs will change the forms of combat and armies. Personnel and politics, as always, will be as crucial as technology.
The United States may be an uncontested military superpower, but it remains defenseless against a new mode of attack: information warfare. As the military, the private sector, and Washington grow increasingly dependent on computers and information networks, they also grow more vulnerable to cyber-attack. Cyberspace is becoming the new front line of warfare, and private citizens are the new prime target. U.S. policymakers and technology entrepreneurs must wake up to this threat and build a wall of defense -- now.
The Cold War induced caution in nations that feared uncontrollable escalation. Now that confrontations are less likely to careen out of control, a new season of bellicosity is here. The U.S. military, trapped in a Cold War mindset, has failed to realize this. It is spending far too much on casualty-prone units in all the services, in an age when political opposition to casualties effectively makes these units unavailable for combat. The military should recalibrate its priorities and shift funds to weapons such as high-tech lasers, stealth aircraft, and cruise missiles that can make warfare less lethal for Americans.

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