Collins - Military Geography: For Professionals and the Public

MILITARY GEOGRAPHY
FOR PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC

To Professor Samuel Van Valkenburg
and Swift:

He stimulated my interest in military geography way back in 1950;
she was his private secretary,
who abandoned civilian life to become my Army bride.

John M. Collins

Originally published by the National Defense University Press, March 1998

First Brasseys edition, July 1998

Published in the United States by Potomac Books, Inc. (formerly Brasseys, Inc.).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Collins, John M.

Military Geography for professionals and the public / John M. Collins
p. cm.
Originally published: Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, 1998.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-57488-180-9
1. Military geography. I. Title
UA990.C554 1998
355.47--dc21

98-24963
CIP

PRINTED IN CANADA

The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is a major component of the National Defense University (NDU), which operates under the supervision of the President of NDU. It conducts strategic studies for the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and unified commanders in chief; supports national strategic components of NDU academic programs; and provides outreach to other governmental agencies and the broader national security community.

The Publication Directorate of INSS publishes books, monographs, reports, and occasional papers on national security strategy, defense policy, and national military strategy through NDU Press that reflect the output of NDU research and academic programs. In addition, it produces the INSS Strategic Assessment and other work approved by the President of NDU, as well as Joint Force Quarterly, a professional military journal published for the Chairman.

Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or any other U.S. Government agency. Cleared for public release; distribution unlimited.

Portions of this book may be quoted or reprinted without permission, provided that a standard source credit line is included. NDU Press would appreciate a courtesy copy of reprints or reviews.

PART ONE:
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

PART TWO:
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

PART THREE:
POLITICAL-MILITARY GEOGRAPHY

PART FOUR:
AREA ANALYSES

FIGURES

MAPS

TABLES

PHOTOGRAPHS

This book will arguably become the most comprehensive treatment of military geography in print. The author presents a sweeping, sophisticated interpretation of the term geography, covering not just the lay of the land, but the human beings who live on the land, change it, and are shaped by it. He relates virtually every aspect of the physical world we live in to every imaginable endeavor in the military realm, from reading a tactical map to conducting a major campaign in some far-flung corner of the Earth. He considers military operations in every geographical environment, while taking into account ever-changing strategies, tactics, and technologies on all levels. He enriches his text with many practical examples that span recorded history. Finally, he writes in plain, direct language to reach the widest possible audience.

The dearth of consolidated studies on the discipline of military geography came to John Collins attention early in his long and distinguished career as a soldier and scholar. Thus he began and kept up an interest in the subject for more than 40 years, amassing voluminous files on the subject. Finally afforded the opportunity to research and write on his avocation at the National Defense University, he spent 2 years as a Visiting Fellow, tapping not only his own wealth of data and experience but a wide variety of well-informed opinions on every facet of military geography.

The resultant volume, the culmination of a life-long career, fills a gap in the professional and technical literature. The National Defense University is pleased to have hosted John Collins and to publish his work. No other book, to our knowledge, marries military art with that of the geographer so deftly and completely. The volume seems destined to meet its stated purposes for years to come, namely, to provide a textbook for students, a handbook for military professionals, and an enlightening survey for any appreciative lay reader.

RICHARD A. CHILCOAT
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army
President, National Defense University

A major American news magazine in the spring of 1997 included an article about the effects of new technology on national defense. It observed that In future wars, knowledge may be more important than terrain, but geography still exerts enormous influence on military operations, war, and security as it has throughout history. Great commanders, past and present, understand that topography, weather, and climate not only affect strategies but battle and support plans. History in fact is replete with enormous penalties incurred by those who paid too little attention to geographic factors.

Military commanders in the Information Age will surely receive data more rapidly and consequently know more than their predecessors about battlefield situations. Information technologies may help military planners and operators better understand geographic factors they may even disprove Clausewitzs contention that most intelligence is falsebut other words he wrote on that subject are likely to endure: geography and the character of the ground bear a close and ever-present relation to warfare. They have a decisive influence on the engagement, both as to its course and to its planning and execution.

Geographic influences were omnipresent during my service as an enlisted soldier in the Tunisian desert fighting of 1942-43, as a junior officer in the Italian mountains 1943-45, and many years later (1966-67) as a battalion commander in the totally different terrain of the War Zone C jungles in Vietnam. Those experiences, which were very personal, had a great deal to do with the health and comfort of my comrades and myself; they affected our casualty rates and often posed more formidable challenges than the enemies we faced. I often wondered if we were victims of geography or victims of the higher commands appreciation for geography.

Those early lessons from geographys school of hard knocks were helpful later, when I held positions of greater authority for planning and directing military operations in widely varied geographic circumstances, first as a new brigadier in Laos in 1972-73, then as Commander of the United Nations Command in Korea, 1976-79, and finally as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A lot of work and study nevertheless was required by me and my staff officers before we could satisfactorily integrate geographys influence on land, sea, and air operations. Despite our efforts, I suspect that many of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen who implemented our plans sometimes felt victimized by geography or our lack of appreciation for it, just as I felt so many years earlier.