Goliath Falls Again: Soviet Failure to Exercise Operational Art in theAfghanistan War

摘要

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, envisioning an opportunityto secure their southern border with a puppet regime and defeat Muslim fundamentalism. They entered the war featuring a European warfare paradigm: a mobile, mechanized force, focusing on mass and concentration, and highly suited to rolling terrain. Their experience in and support of guerrilla-style warfare all but guaranteed a quick and easy defeat of a disorganized, poorly trained and equipped band of rebels. Following a successful invasion, Soviet leadership fell prey to the space of Afghanistan, and in the process, shifted the initiative and the time factor to their adversary, the Mujahedin rebel forces. The Soviet forces never lost a major battle, yet they lost the war. They entered the war with quick, decisive action, but failed to maintain freedom of action. What were the issues that found them unable to grasp and implement the operational factors of space, time and forces in the theater of operations that led to denial of their strategic goals.