War studies

Multidisciplinary study of war

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War
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Tactics List of military tactics Aerial Airlift Air assault Airbridge Airdrop Battle Cavalry Charge Counterattack Counterinsurgency Defeat in detail Foxhole Drone Envelopment Guerrilla Morale Rapid dominance Siege Swarm Screen Tactical objective Target saturation Trench Withdrawal
Operational Military operation Operations research Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group Raid
Strategy List of military strategies and concepts Military campaign Attrition Commerce raiding Counter-offensive Culminating Defence in depth Fabian Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval Offensive Scorched earth
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War studies, sometimes called polemology, is the multi-disciplinary study of war. It pertains to the military, diplomatic, philosophical, social, political, psychological or economic dimensions of human conflict. The word polemology derives from Ancient Greek: πόλεμος, romanized: pólemos, lit. 'war, battle' + "-logy".

History

In 1943, King's College London reestablished its military science department as the Department of War Studies. The department was discontinued in 1948, and the field of war studies was taught in the Department of Medieval and Modern History until the Department of War Studies was reinstated in 1962.^[1]

Disciplines

Laws of war – International regulations of warfarePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Philosophy of war – Theory of causes and ethics of armed conflict
- Ethics of war – Doctrine about when a war is ethically justPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  - Just war theory – Doctrine about when a war is ethically just
- Deterrence theory – Military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons
Psychology of war – Specialized field in psychological sciencePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
- Post traumatic stress disorder – Mental disorder associated with traumaPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
- Psychological operations – Information operations to assist military objectivesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Military history
Military science – Theory, method, and practice of producing military capability
Motivations, conduct and effect of war
Economics of war – Actions taken by a state to mobilize its economy for war productionPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Sociology of war
Sociology of the military – Subfield within sociology which studies the military as a social groupPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
International relations – Study of relationships between two or more states
- International relations theory – Study of international relations from a theoretical perspective
Political science – Scientific study of politics
Anthropology – Scientific study of humans, human behavior, and societies