Join War on the Rocks and gain access to content trusted by policymakers, military leaders, and strategic thinkers worldwide.
It is clear that the U.S.-Israeli decapitation, airpower-centric, and precision strike campaign are again not enough to bring about the two countries’ strategic goals. The United States still finds itself potentially having to commit land forces into its war with Iran, yet ...
The strongest version of this narrative is its rigorous use of the Donbas campaign to challenge the assumption that technological advancements have rendered large-scale ground combat obsolete. The analysis credibly demonstrates how Russia’s sequential operations—Ilovaisk, Donetsk Airport, and Debal’tseve—achieved strategic control through persistence, adaptability, and the integration of firepower and manpower. It rightly highlights the political dimensions of territorial control, showing how mi...