Background
Crane, Conrad C. was born on January 22, 1952.
(Though the end of the Cold War brought a decrease in the ...)
Though the end of the Cold War brought a decrease in the likelihood of global war and significant reductions in U.S. military force levels, demands placed on remaining American military forces increased rather than subsided. Over the past decade, American political leaders have used military forces much more frequently to achieve national policy objectives. Most of the post-Cold War deployments fall under the general heading of smaller-scale contingencies (SSCs), but their cumulative effect has placed considerable burdens on the Army, in particular. In this study, Dr. Conrad Crane analyzes the role of land-power in the 170 SSCs conducted during the last decade. He disaggregates such contingencies into engagement, enhanced deterrence, hostility, and stabilization phases, and discusses the military’s role in each one. Though cruise missiles and aircraft have been the primary policy tool for actual hostilities, the Army has been the predominant service in the other phases, especially for stabilization. He points out that no major foreign policy objectives have been achieved from major theater deployments during the last decade without some form of significant long-term Army involvement in the region after the crisis has been resolved. Nonetheless, there have been many flaws in the Army's performance during the stabilization phase of these SSCs. Using historical examples and unit after-action reports, Dr. Crane points out recurring problems in planning, execution, and force structure for such missions. He concludes that despite the desires of American leaders to limit the nation-building involvement of the troops they deploy, the capability mismatch between military and civilian organizations, combined with the require-ments of peace operations and character of American soldiers, makes such a result unavoidable. He argues that the Army iii especially needs to accept some degree of nation-building as its mission, and adapt its force structure, training, and planning accordingly. He also presents some other recommendations to enhance further the Army's ability to meet the full spectrum of future challenges it will face. There is much in this study to support the current program for Army Transformation, as well as to present a case for a larger active force structure, especially for combat support and combat service support. Dr. Crane's analysis and recommendations also merit examination as part of the Quadrennial Defense Review process. Statistical analysis of the period since America became the world's lone superpower suggests that its armed forces will face an increasing number of SSCs. The services will have to find a way to accomplish these most-likely missions while still retaining full ability to win those major wars that remain the most dangerous threat to national security.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1463685386/?tag=2022091-20
(As the might and capabilities of American airpower have g...)
As the might and capabilities of American airpower have grown during the last sixty years, so has the controversy about its use in the intentional and indiscriminate wartime bombardment of civilians. In Bombs, Cities, and Civilians, Conrad Crane maintains that, for the most part, American airmen in World War II remained committed to precision bombing doctrine. Instead of attacking densely populated urban areas simply to erode civilian morale, Army Air Forces adhered to a policy that emphasized targeting key industrial and military sites. He demonstrates that while the British, Germans, and Japanese routinely conducted indiscriminate aerial bombardment of enemy cities, American airmen consistently stayed with daylight raids against carefully selected targets, especially in Europe. Daytime precision missions were usually far more dangerous than night area attacks, but such Army Air Force tactics increased bombing efficiency and also reduced the risk of civilian casualties. This is the first book to respond to recent assertions by other historians that due to military necessity, vague policies, or the desire to maximize technology, Army Air Forces bombers in World War II exercised little restraint on attacks against civilians. Even though bombing policy was influenced more by the attitudes of airmen in operations rooms and in combat than by directives from leaders in Washington, Crane contends that air commanders in the field did consistently conform to the guidelines of precision doctrine. Crane also shows, however, that different leaders, command arrangements, and combat conditions in the Pacific led to bombing policies that were much less discriminating concerning target selection. Focusing on specific operations and key operational commanders, such as Carl Spaatz in Europe and Curtis LeMay in the Pacific, he illustrates how different situations and personalities influenced bombing policies. Despite deviations from precision bombing doctrine in the Pacific that led to incendiary raids on Japanese cities, Crane contends that the pursuit of accurate bombing remained a primary goal throughout World War II and remains one today. Beginning with the lessons gleaned from World War I, he traces the evolution of American doctrine and technology for conventional bombing through the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. In the process, he demonstrates how public opinion, combat conditions, technological innovation, and the search for "Victory through Airpower" have affected bombing operations and military policy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0700611037/?tag=2022091-20
(The Korean War was the first armed engagement for the new...)
The Korean War was the first armed engagement for the newly formed U.S. Air Force, but far from the type of conflict it expected or wanted to fight. As the first air war of the nuclear age, it posed a major challenge to the service to define and successfully carry out its mission by stretching the constraints of limited war while avoiding the excesses of total war. Conrad Crane analyzes both the successes and failures of the air force in Korea, offering a balanced treatment of how the air war in Korea actually unfolded. He examines the Air Force's contention that it could play a decisive role in a non-nuclear regional war but shows that the fledgling service was held to unrealistically high expectations based on airpower's performance in World War II, despite being constrained by the limited nature of the Korean conflict. Crane exposes the tensions and rivalries between services, showing that emphasis on strategic bombing came at the expense of air support for ground troops, and he tells how interactions between army and air force generals shaped the air force's mission and strategy. He also addresses misunderstandings about plans to use nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in the war and includes new information from pilot correspondence about the informal policy of "hot pursuit" over the Yalu that existed at the end of the war. The book considers not only the actual air effort in Korea but also its ramifications. The air force doubled in size during the war and used that growth to secure its position in the defense establishment, but it wagered its future on its ability to deliver nuclear weapons in a high-intensity conflict—a position that left it unprepared to fight the next limited war in Vietnam. As America observes the fiftieth anniversary of its initial engagement in Korea, Crane's book is an important reminder of the lessons learned there. And as airpower continues to be a cornerstone of American defense, this examination of its uses in Korea provides new insights about the air force's capabilities and limitations.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0700609911/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5FPXPE/?tag=2022091-20
Crane, Conrad C. was born on January 22, 1952.
Bachelor of Science, United States Military Academy. Master of Arts, Stanford University. Doctor of Philosophy, Stanford University.
Graduate, United States Army Command and General Staff College. Graduate, United States Army War College.
Professor history United States Military Academy. Member Strategic Studies Institute United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, director Military History Institute Carlisle Barracks, since 2003.
(As the might and capabilities of American airpower have g...)
(Prior to World War Ii, the majority of instances where Am...)
(Though the end of the Cold War brought a decrease in the ...)
(The Korean War was the first armed engagement for the new...)