Assignment Task:
For all, in the Discussion Forum for this Module, please provide brief responses to the following questions, based on your own reading of the Learning Resources:
According to Johnson, why is it necessary, in the context of great power competition, for US strategic planners to have a thorough understanding of American strategic culture and its inherent proclivities and blind spots? What three scenarios within the arena of great power competition does Johnson believe provide "useful models for examining key aspects of American strategic cultural thinking and practice"?
According to Adamsky, in The Culture of Military Revolution, the U.S. did not pioneer the concept of a "revolution in military affairs," but it was the first to field the kind of advanced technology needed to realize it. What is it about U.S. strategic culture that enabled that to happen in the U.S. but not in Israel or Russia?
According to Mahnken, what are some "subcultures" within the U.S. military and their distinguishing characteristics?
In addition, please respond to the following questions about the three "snapshots" of American strategic culture: Do you think these are generally fair and accurate descriptions of U.S. strategic culture? What is "strategic" about these descriptions of U.S. strategic culture? What are some common themes from these three different authors, as well as Adamsky and Mahnken?
Also, as part of the Learning Activities for this module, check out how the United States compares to Russia on Hofstede's six dimensions of culture:
Once you navigate to this page, type "United States" into the country selection box, and see what comes up. Note the high scores for "Individualism" and "Indulgence." Then, add "Russia" to the selection box, and pull up a side-by-side comparison. Note that they are almost polar opposites in every dimension.
Readings and References
Jeannie L. Johnson, "American Strategic Culture in the Era of Great Power Competition," Chapter 11 in Routledge Handbook of Strategic Culture (London: Routledge, 2024), pp. 149-163.
Adamsky, The Culture of Military Innovation, Chapter 3: "The Impact of Cultural Factors on the US Revolution in Military Affairs," pp. 58-92.
Thomas G. Mahnken, "United States Strategic Culture," in Johnson, Kartchner, Larsen, Strategic Culture and Weapons of Mass Destruction, pp. 69-84.
Three "snapshots" of American strategic culture [note that these are summaries from the cited sources]:
Snapshot (a): From Lt. Miriam D. Becker, USN, "Strategic Culture and Ballistic Missile Defense -- Russia and the United States," Airpower Journal Special Edition, 1994.
Snapshot (b): From Ken Booth, "American Strategy: The Myths Revisited," in Ken Booth and Moorhead Wright, eds., American Thinking about Peace and War (Harvester Press, 1978), pp. 1-35.
Snapshot (c): From Colin S. Gray, "The American Way of War," in Anthony D. Mc Ivor, ed., Rethinking the Principles of War (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2005), pp. 13-40.