Tactical Level War Fighting Misses the Mark

For centuries, the US Army was fixated with the tactical level of warfighting. They believed that wars are won at that level. American generals thought in terms of divisions, regiments and battalions winning wars.

“Tactics are concerned with the physical destruction of the enemy’s front-line troops, up to a depth of about fifty kilometers. That distance embraces the enemy forward division's reserves.”

From Moles and Amateurs

“For the past fifty years one salient fact has marked the experience of American officers with war games. American officers continue to exhibit a desire to fight battles and engagements at the micro-tactical level. "Commanders (at all levels from battalion up) repeatedly attempt to force the level of computer play down to squad and sometimes individual vehicle..." This universal drive demonstrates a strong inability of American officers to think above the tactical or micro-tactical level of warfighting and points up their continued unsuitability for operational level war. Wargaming tends to reinforce and train-to this innate predilection for tactics.”

In truth, wars are never won at the tactical level.