BLUF
The WW2 Pacific Battle for Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands) demonstrates that battles can be won before the first shot is fired by integrating new technology into training.Summary
This article by Benjamin Jensen and William Bowers in the Conversation make the following points:
- The Battle of Guadalcanal, fought between Aug 1942 and Feb 1943, was a major WW2 turning point.
- Guadalcanal showed the importance of integrating planning, training and technology.
- The Chinese Navy has analysed the Guadalcanal campaign for lessons useful in future wars.
- Cost imposition involves making it very expensive—in terms of personnel, equipment and time—for an adversary to achieve its objectives.
- The business “sunk costs fallacy” applies to the military because running a modern defence force costs a lot of money, and therefore, that cost might need to be justified.
Modern Implications.
- Current threats are complex- political, economic and military.
- Low-cost drones are proving an effective defence against armour.
References
- Media Check: The Conversation - Media Bias/Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
- Collections | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
- ADDITIONAL READING RAAF RUNWAY (PME)
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC
