CHANGING WHILE STANDING STILL: OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DURING TRENCH WARFARE PERIOD OF THE KOREAN WAR, 1951 – 1953

Abstract

This thesis studies U.S. Army operational concepts developed during the Korean War trench warfare period and their effect on subsequent U.S. Army doctrine, equipment, and training, to wage Cold War. The five interrelated operational concepts explored in this thesis include Small Unit Tactics (SUT), precision fire support, special operations, combined operations, and the development of Foreign Internal Defense (FID) as a valid force multiplier, through the development of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. These five operational concepts bundled U.S. Army concepts that traditionally supported offensive warfare and instead they became the main effort during the defensive and limited war of attrition in Korea. Their influence was long lasting, reflected in their current place in U.S. Army doctrine, Unified Land Operations that includes a heavy emphasis on defensive and stability operations and now includes wide area security as an Army core competency equal to combined arms maneuver.