AP 516(L) - Politcal-Military Strategic Dissonance

OVERVIEW: When political and military leaders have different objectives in mind, the results can be disastrous. In the Vietnam War, the political and military leadership of the United States did not trust one another, and often worked at cross-purposes. There was poor communication from both sides, and the result was a strategic failure, not just in aerial warfare, but in the entire war effort. This lecture investigates the underlying problems in the political-military relationship of the era, and offers lessons on how to avoid similar failures in the future.