Fifty Shades of Friction Combat Climate, B-52 Crews, and the Vietnam War

Authors

Mark Clodfelter

Files

Description

“Four elements make up the climate of war: danger, exertion, uncertainty, and chance,” wrote Prussian military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz in his seminal On War. He observed that collectively, those four elements comprised the notion of friction, which he defined as “the only concept that more or less corresponds to the factors that distinguish real war from war on paper.” Friction has disrupted the implementation of war plans since the dawn of civilization, and despite efforts to minimize its effects, it will continue to do so.

Publication Date

9-2016

Publisher

National Defense University

City

Washington, DC

Recommended Citation

Clodfelter, Mark, "Fifty Shades of Friction Combat Climate, B-52 Crews, and the Vietnam War" (2016). NWC Case Studies. 1.
https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/nwc-case-studies/1