ABSTRACT
This chapter explains a series of shared insights drawn from the rich history of protracted war, highlighting the enduring importance of military adaptability, socio-economic resiliency and diplomatic dexterity in a drawn-out conflict. While the analytical community can draw on the experience of certain limited wars fought under a nuclear shadow – such as the 1969 Sino-Soviet border war, or the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan – there has not yet been a protracted, high-intensity war between two nuclear-armed opponents. Over the past decade, these concerns over the risks of inadvertent nuclear escalation have led some analysts to advance alternative operational concepts that forgo large-scale US strikes on the Chinese mainland in favour of ‘maritime denial’, ‘offshore control’ or meticulously planned strike campaigns that scrupulously avoid any targets that might be either enmeshed with China’s strategic deterrent or shielding senior members of its political leadership.
