The Eagle, the Bear and the Dragon: Military thought on three great powers

There is always good reason for a small country to stay abreast of how great powers think about the use of military force. Currently, the media are full of reports and comments on Russia's use of "hybrid warfare" in the Ukraine, with supposedly revolutionary effects. But do such labels really have a basis in Russian military doctrine and thinking? What is really new in the latest issue of Russian military doctrine? What are the hot topics in the current Russian professional debate on war and warfare? In this report, three specialists from FOI's Department of Defence Analysis analyze thinking and debate on war and warfare in three military great powers: USA, Russia and China. Which kind of war is envisioned? Against what kind of opponent? By what means and for what ends? The analysis focuses at the strategic level of analysis, except in the US case, where it concerns an operational concept. The report is based on a study of published and unclassified literature. Gudrun Persson tackles the issues outlined above concerning Russian military thinking. Kaan Korkmaz addresses Chinese thinking on for which purposes the gleaming military machine that Beijing now displays on parade is to be used. The Chinese build-up is widely seen as challenge to American dominance in the Asia- Pacific, especially on sea and in the air. Robert Dalsjö analyses the American response to the perceived challenge, an operational concept under development called Air-Sea Battle.