Conventional warfare

Conventional warfare is an operational doctrine in the event of war , in which artificially manufactured weapons of mass destruction are dispensed with. Up until the invention of the poison gas , all wars were conventional, although as early as the Middle Ages decaying cadavers were thrown into enemy positions and wells poisoned to cause disease.

Conventional warfare between 1945 and 1990

After the first atomic bombs were used against Japan at the end of World War II , it became necessary to distinguish between conventional and atomic or nuclear warfare . Conventional warfare means the use of weapons or ammunition that function exclusively on the principle of projectiles accelerated by propellants or the effect of explosives. The effect must not be caused or increased by nuclear, biological or chemical warfare agents (so-called ABC or weapons of mass destruction ).

The concept of conventional warfare also has a tactical - strategic aspect. In this context it means the classic deployment of large military units belonging to different branches of arms ( tanks , artillery , infantry ) and armed forces ( army , air force , navy ). Their aim is to destroy the enemy's fighting power while protecting non-military people and property as much as possible.

Modern Aspects of Conventional Warfare

With the end of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States , the danger of a global nuclear war is almost over. However, there are considerations for the development of smaller nuclear warheads, e.g. B. to fight bunker systems, which would bring the risk of a lower threshold for such weapon systems.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the outbreak of a global war on terrorism , asymmetrical warfare has come to the fore again as the antithesis of conventional warfare . Opposition to non-militarily organized armed groups that do not distinguish between military and civilians (terrorists) means a challenge for armies equipped with heavy equipment and operating in large formations , which are primarily designed to break up similarly organized opponents ( asymmetry ). In this context, covert or unconventional warfare means the use of small commandos , which operate in small numbers and often unnoticed by the public on the enemy (in enemy-controlled territory). Mostly they are in close connection with secret service operations or try to get locals to their side. This is in contrast to the tactically conventional warfare described above.

Uranium ammunition plays a role in tactical warfare in several states . Nuclear material is used here for ballistic reasons.