The United States and the Army have entered a new era with a world consisting of a multitude of possible threats. The American people and military doctrine require future conflicts to be resolved with quick, decisive victory. This monograph discusses the concept of pursuit and the role it can play in gaining such a victory. The role of pursuit is examined through an analysis of the theory of pursuit in On War by Carl Von Clausewitz and through modern historical examples of pursuit at the tactical level. It applies both theory and history to determine if there are certain key components of successful pursuits. US Army doctrine and the conduct of pursuit operations is used to answer two questions: Is the doctrine supported by theory and history and does the US Army currently conduct pursuit operations at the tactical level'? Finally, this monograph concludes that both theory and history provide for the utility of pursuit in seeking quick, decisive victory on the battlefield. However, current US Army doctrine has critical omissions in regards to pursuit and more importantly, the US Army currently fails to conduct pursuit operations at the tactical level. Before the US Army is prepared to use pursuit to seek this decisive victory it must make changes in both its doctrine and training.

ADA 289002 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)