William S Knightly

Campaigning in the Secondary Theater: Challenges for the Operational Commander William S Knightly

Publisher Marketing: This monograph addresses the conduct of the operational art within the secondary theater of war. Specifically two aspects of the secondary theater are addressed. First the art of conducting campaigns within the secondary theater is examined, with the aim of determining if there are distinct campaign principles that ought to be applied within the theater. Two campaigns conducted by the British Middle-East form the basis for the historical review. The second aspect of the secondary theater that is examined is the relationship of the strategic guidance in the theater to the overall political-strategic aim. Here the problems of executing the strategic guidance without adversely affecting the primary theater or the overall political-strategic objective is examined. The actions of Field Marshal Irwin Rommel and General Douglas MacArthur are used to illustrate the problem of executing the strategic guidance in a secondary theater. The conclusions reached in this monograph suggest two findings. First, the general principles of campaign design, described in the monograph, are just as applicable to campaigns conducted within secondary theaters as they are to campaigns conducted in primary theaters. Application of these principles tend to contribute to success while discarding the principles increases the chances for failure. The second conclusion reached in the monograph is the indication that secondary theater commanders have a special responsibility to insure their strategic aims support the overall strategic aim. Commanders must resist the temptation, especially if their theater has a negative aim, to expand their operations beyond the limits of their guidance.