American improvement in the conduct of military operations in Europe - Essay Example

Explain the nature of American improvement in the conduct of military operations in Europe Ever since the First and Second World Wars, the United States have made such remarkable improvements in the conduct of military operations in Europe that today it has become the unchallenged global military power. With Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, then France in 1940, and the Soviet Union in 1941, the United States initiated compulsory peacetime military training and introduced the army’s “Victory Program” that aimed at strengthening the nation’s military power and creating an appropriate balance between ground and air forces.

After the Second World War, the United States emerged as a global superpower in terms of its military power and the Cold War era saw the development of the nation as a super power. Towards the end of the twentieth century, it is because of these improvements in the conduct of military operations in Europe that helped the nation to dictate terms over international relations and global terrorist upheavals. Murray & Millett (2001), in this respect, observe that the “American commanders had shown considerable improvement in the conduct of military operations in 1945” (Murray & Millett 483).

The authors observe that the American drive to the Rhine and the encirclement of the Ruhr by First and Ninth U.S. Armies were the greatest American victory in the war. For them, the U.S. commanders in the campaign were successful as they had ‘a superior understanding of exploitation and maneuver warfare’. The U.S military also realized the significance of more robust radio communications that would assist infantry platoon. Similarly, the U.S military developed an innovative “ability of the artillery to adjust and mass fires on unseen targets, either by map analysis or, more importantly, by the use of ground or airborne observers” (Murray & Millett 30).

To conclude, it can be stated that the major elements that determine the combat power of the United States’ military include its operational maneuver, tactical maneuver, close combat strategies, operational fires, effective military leaderships, force protection, field discipline, and the unity of command. “Operational maneuver involves placing Army forces and resources at the critical place in time to achieve an operational advantage” and the U.S military has made so much of improvements in this regard (Military: Land Power).

The National Security Act of 1947 was instrumental in improving the U.S. Military force as it created the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Air Force which prove to be the America’s strengths. Similarly, U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), and the nation’s active role in NATO have all helped America in its military operations in Europe. The Korean War, Lebanon crisis of 1958, Vietnam War, War on Iraq, Somalia, and Yugoslavia, and its war on global terrorism have provided new dimensions to the nation’s military operations.

References “Military: Land Power”. GlobalSecurity.org, 2011. 24 February 2011. < http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/land.htm>. Murray, Williamson and Allan R. Millett, A War To Be Won: Fighting the Second World War. Illustrated ed: Harvard University Press, 2001.