Literature Review on Defense Strategy and Capabilities

Introduction 

In the recent past, there has been a shift in the conflicts and alliances around the world, necessitating the need for timely and reliable research and analysis in the area of defense. This has led to the formation of various defense forces with strategies that make them capable of effectively defending their borders. The major aim of the formation of any country’s defense strategy is to bridge the gap between the ends and the means (Cepic & Licks, 2016). Sustainability of the defense strategy depends greatly on a number of institutional, economic and operational costs that are to be fully guaranteed. Different forms of defense strategies that have succeeded in the past were majorly based on the three goals which include: sustaining both regional and international multilateral security commitments, dissuading aggression to defend the national population, national territory resources and national interests and the third one is attending to additional missions provided by the military forces constitution (Cepic & Licks, 2016). 

Powerful countries in terms of military composition also provide military support to others in order to foster the attainment of mutually shared interests. For instance, Europe has played a significant role in the strengthening of American Defense strategy in the past years (Deni, 2016). According to the 2015 National strategy, The United states has continued to rely on Europe as its most likely and most capable military partner for strengthening its military operations in dealing with its most vexing security challenges. However, there has been a presumption that European allies do not have the full military capacity or willingness for America to use her military force. According to Deni (2016), the US has been working on building its own strengths by bringing its assets and resources to the table in order to facilitate the transatlantic partnership. This has been one of the US defense strategies that are projected to enhance its military capability in the near future. 

Principles of Active Defense Strategy

According to the US policy on active cyber defense strategy formulated by Flowers & Zeadally (2014), there are different principles of active defense that are essential for any military policy to succeed in its defense mission. These principles include security, disruption, flexibility and mass. They are briefly described below: 

Security 

This requires the defense policy to understand and master the area being protected, assets found in that area and the ability to keep track of the identities, vulnerabilities, networks among other issues that concern defense. The first and most important step in security is the ability to protect and maintain the forces available so that they can be employed at the appropriate time in the active defense. This ensures total resilience against intruders and possible attack by the enemy (Flowers and Zeadally, 2014). 

Disruption

This principle dictates that at no time should the attacker be left to break or intrude. The principle of disruption requires that the military should be well organized to use all possible ways to disorganize enemies’ activities or mislead them before they can fully assess their impact on the protected environment; the process is called battle damage assessment (Flowers and Zeadally, 2014). Active measures which are designed to slow down the adversity should be employed at this instance in order to gain valuable intelligence on their approaches and share that information with the remaining defenders so as to specifically harden the rest of the enterprise or protected area against an on-going attack (Flowers and Zeadally, 2014). 

Flexibility 

Flexibility is the ability to employ multiple options or approaches to the solution of single or varied problems. At the same time, Flowers and Zeadally (2014) suggests the need to limit the options available for the attacker. If flexibility is successfully employed as a defense strategy, it becomes easier to sustain damage and recover from it faster before an attacker takes advantage of the situation to succeed in an on-going attack. 

Mass 

This refers to the gaining of capability or numerical superiority at a specific time and place that is critical to countering an attacker and even potentially counter-attacking within the limits of the law. It is at this time that there is need to do anything that can limit the amount of relative force which can be brought by an attacker to bear and increase monetary force brought to the defense (Flowers & Zeadally, 2014). 

While using an attack lifecycle is an important tool to predict the most probable progression and direction of an attack so as to be relevant and effective. It should be combined with the above stated principles of effective defense for the purposes of efficiency. Systematic and creative application of defense along with active intelligence as well as network deception increases chances of victoriously countering the enemy whom it would have been otherwise difficult to pursue (Flowers & Zeadally, 2014). 

Bearing the above principles in mind, there is need to have a number of military tactics as part of the military strategies to enhance the capability of a defense. According to Boot (2003), some of the most important tactics to be employed by a strategic military force include: Exploitation of the prevailing weather. This tactic relies on the tactical use of the prevailing weather conditions as a force multiplier. Throughout history, this tactic has been employed by many influential military groups and in most cases, it has been successful. One of the most notable battle in which exploitation of weather succeeded as a defense tactic was the Battle of Waterloo which took place in Belgium on June 18, 1815. The defeat by the Seventh Coalition and the Prussian Army against the French Empire was simply as a result of tactful exploitation of weather.

Reconnaissance of fire is another strategy employed by apprehensive soldiers whenever they suspect the enemy’s intrusion. As an additional tactic, fire attacks are somehow conventional and thus their use requires both experience and expertise (Boot, 2013). Force concentration, which is the practice of concentrating a military force against the portion of the enemy’s military force, is another tactic in defense strategy that can be strategically applied to increase the capability of a military or defense group. If well organized, night combat that is usually expedited at night can be a successful tactic in the military defense strategy. Although it often demands more preparation than daylight combat, night combat can provide significant tactical advantages and disadvantages to the defender and attacker respectively. 

Alternatively, the military force can make use of reconnaissance as a mission to obtain information through visual observation as well as other methods of detection about the resources and activities of the present or potential enemy. Boot (2013) further suggests that reconnaissance can be applied in relation to the hydrographic, geographic and/or meteorological characteristics of a particular area.

Lastly, smoke screening can also be used as an alternative defense tactic. It involves strategic creation of the clouds of smoke positioned in order to provide concealment and allow military defense forces to retreat or advance across open terrain without coming under direct fire from the enemy (Boot, 2013). 

Effectiveness of Defense Strategies and Capabilities

Strategic application of the above described defense strategies and tactics increases chances of success in the military defense. There are some variables to understand how effective the strategies are in regard to effective strategic defense. 

First, Lin, Wang, & Huang (2013) suggested that the basis of any defense is in the critical understanding of the attacker’s goal of intrusion. Unless the enemy’s goal is understood, any attempt to defend is in vein. Budgeting is another factor to consider if any form of defense has to be successful. Resources such as military equipment and other requirements to facilitate the process of defense should adequately be budgeted for. Capability, which describes the military’s proficiency and an understanding of the attacker’s capacity, is another determinant of a strategic defense. This creates an awareness of the weaknesses and strengths on both sides, making it easier to institute necessary changes and reforms that are required for success (Lin, Wang, & Huang, 2013). 

Additionally, the attack type matters in determining whether the defense or battle will be successful or not. The defense forces need to understand whether the attack has been externally organized or internally perpetrated in order to safely attack the enemy from the safest point (Lin, Wang, & Huang, 2013). For instance, an attack that is externally organized may target destruction of the boundaries and consequent intrusion whereas internal attacks target an internal node as a starting point for compromising the network. Lastly, the level of aggressiveness also determines how successful a defense is likely to be. The swiftness with which a defense force block’s the enemy’s attempts to attack is what defines a strategic defense. According to Lin, Wang, & Huang (2013), a defense that is aggressive is likely to combat the enemy while that which is less aggressive may be less effective in its attempt to defend. 

Conclusion

In summary, defense strategies and capabilities depend on a number of intertwined factors, which are derived from the lessons of former military actions across the world. Success in defense depends on various strategies, tactics and knowledge of important military variables as described above. If tactfully applied in combination, these strategies and tactics greatly enhance the defense strategy and capabilities. 

References

Boot, M. (2003). The new American way of war. Foreign Affairs , 1(1), 41-58.

Cepik, M., & Licks Bertol, F. (2016). Defense policy in Brazil: bridging the gap between ends and means?. Defence Studies , 16 (3), 229-247.

Deni, J. R. (2016). Still the One? The Role of Europe in American Defense Strategy. Orbis , 60 (1), 36-51.

Flowers, A., & Zeadally, S. (2014). US policy on active cyber defense. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management , 11 (2), 289-308.

Lin, F. Y. S., Wang, Y. S., & Huang, M. Y. (2013). Effective proactive and reactive defense strategies against malicious attacks in a virtualized honeynet. Journal of Applied Mathematics , 1(1), 2013 .