Overview
Falklands/Malvinas War Analysis: “Only through mastery of military history and military theory can officers gain the wide frame of reference necessary for sound operational decision-making/planning and directing of campaigns.” (Vego, Operational Art, 279) StartFragmentA. Summative Assessments (SA’s) are ‘open book’ but individual effort, only. See p.10-11 of the syllabus for the Academic Honor Code. Any student evaluated as “not yet” meeting expectations on an SA will be assigned appropriate remediation (see syllabus p.7) by the professor.
B. Submission Requirements:
- Due Date: 2359ET on Thursday of the week assigned (unless otherwise directed by your professor).
- Length: 6 pages.
- Format: MS Word (.doc or docx), 12pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, student first and last name on each page (header or footer).
- File Name: Last name, First name_SA#_Q# (e.g., Jones_John_SA1_Q1)
- No cover sheet or bibliography is required for this assignment.
- Use parenthetical citations to indicate passages from the case study which support your arguments. For example, if arguing the British operational objective was X, indicate the page containing supporting evidence: (Hime, Falklands, p#). There is no expectation that students consult resources beyond course materials; if you choose to do so they must be fully cited in footnotes (Chicago Manual of Style).
- Caution: substantial use of direct quotes or paraphrases, or recounting of the case study, will generally not meet expectations for this short assignment.
C. Choose one of the following prompts to answer for SA1:
- Analyze the Falklands/Malvinas case study to determine the operational objectives and operational center(s) of gravity for both belligerents. Defend your conclusions using Op Art concepts and terminology. The answer should include:
- Consideration of the relationship between the Desired End State, strategic guidance, and operational objectives.
- Critical Factor Analysis (consideration of critical strengths and weaknesses) to identify and justify operational COG identifications.
- Assessment of how each side planned to attack the opponent's center(s) of gravity and protect their own. This should include a discussion of Critical Capabilities, Critical Requirements, and Critical Vulnerabilities associated with the respective operational COGs.
- Analyze the Falklands/Malvinas case study to determine how the operational factors of time, space, and force impacted planning efforts on both sides. In addition to an in-depth analysis of the operational factors, the answer should include a discussion of:
- Theater geometry and its impact on the conflict for both sides.
- Challenges or opportunities identified by commanders/planners for each side and their attempts to mitigate or take advantage of them (balance factors with the objective).
- Your assessment of the three (3) most important Operational Functions for each side and the impact they had on the conflict (positive or negative).