CWT #1 - War & US Military

Question 1

ID the 3 enduring truths that describe the fundamental nature of war:

Answer 1

• 1) an instrument of national policy
• 2) a complex & chaotic human endeavor
• 3) a clash of opposing wills

Question 2

Identify 2 basic themes of war:

Answer 2

1. Policy (political side)

2. Violence (military side)

Question 3

Four different viewpoints on war:

Answer 3

Pacifism
Realism
Holy war
Just War Theory

Question 4

Pacifism

Answer 4

• war is immoral
• against war as a means of settling disputes
• advocates arbitration, surrender, or migration
• avoidance of war at all costs

Question 5

Realism

Answer 5

• wars are clashes of power & interest
• moral constraints should never be put above a nation’s self-interest
• focus on military necessity (all methods can or should be used to get victory)

Question 6

Holy War

Answer 6

• wars are divine instruments of judgment (not merely human affairs)
• authorized by God
• God is responsible for the outcome

Question 7

Just War Theory

Answer 7

• killing is morally unacceptable but war is morally justified under certain conditions (must define actions that are permissible)
• focuses on
• protection of noncombatants
• waging war by clearly defined rules
• military targets not civilian targets
• fight for a just cause and employ just means

Question 8

The 3 factors that dominate war and define them.

Answer 8

• fog of war → uncertainty & unpredictability
• friction → fog of war + danger + physical stress + human fallibility → makes simple operations difficult (unaccounted for incidents that lower performance)
• chance → lucky or unlucky outcomes

Question 9

Define war according to Clausewitz

Answer 9

• An act of violence to force our opponent to do our will

* A duel on an extensive scale