Operational Art in Classical Warfare: The Campaigns of Alexander the Great

摘要

One of the greatest generals and practitioners of military craft foughtsuccessfully over two thousand years ago. Between 335 and 325 B.C., Alexander the Great campaigned into Persia and India with the aim of conquering the known world. His distinguished military victories are a clear testament to his tactical brilliance; however, his genius extended beyond the bounds of tactics alone. He linked the tactical and strategic levels of war. This monograph examines these campaigns, using the definitions and criteria for operational art found within the current U.S. Army FM 100-5 Operations, to determine Alexander the Great used operational art during this period of classical warfare. Along with this doctrinal view, two theories that assert that operational art began in the nineteenth century are considered. Theories provide students with useful tools for historical analysis; yet, they are not the final determining factor and must be tempered with an understanding that the criteria could skew the conclusions. Furthermore, focusing merely on modern campaigns limits the scope of study and excludes potentially valuable bodies of knowledge from the student of military history.