I with agree Van Riper. I met him, 5 years ago, and we corresponded for a short while. I would add that the US can only fight two types of enemy because essentially that's all there are.
Language is so critical in discussing military thought/science/doctrine. I am sure a fair few here regard me as a pedant, but without the right words we may as well say "ghooodemigig," and then argue if Rommel ever used it.Wilf, based on previous discussions concerning Col Boyd's presentations, I suspect you'd say "why all the fancy wording and slides? Why not just analyze your enemy, figure out what he intends to do to you, adapt where appropriate and crush him/them."
I agree that it is not useful to have "one doctrine" and "one force structure", but you can have a force capable of altering it's structure, at the sub-unit level, and you can have comprehensive doctrine that addresses both types of enemy - and both may be present at the same time (EG: NVA and NLF/VC) so, I submit, you can't afford not to.
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