Theory of War and Strategy Flashcards
Strategic Appraisal Tool
(1) How do they understand the issue?
(2) What’s the influence of domestic factors?
(3) How do they see their interests?
(4) What is their Strategy?
How to test alignment of Ends, Ways, Means in a Strategy?
FAS-R:
(1) Feasibility - Do the means exist to support the strategy?
(2) Acceptability - Ways of Strategy acceptable to stakeholders?
(3) Suitability - does the strategy align E,W,M to significantly contribute to achieve desired ends?
RISKS - What are the risks? Mitigations?
What is Strategy?
Strategy is the alignment of
(1) Ends - Aims; Objectives
(2) Ways - Concepts; Methods
(3) Means - Resources
- Informed by risk to achieve
IR (International Relation) Theory
(1) Realism: constant struggle for power that is carried out under conditions that border on anarchy (controlled anarchy); competitive “SELF-HELP” international system; Cost vs Benefit analysis
(2) Liberalism: security is mutual & created through cooperation Int’l agreements, organizations; rejects pessimistic realists world; sees world politics as area in which all participants (state/non-state actors) can advance their own interests peacefully w/o threatening others; Global society matters alongside state relationships; International society
(3) Constructivism: assert that international politics is not shaped by fixed underlying forces but by our perceptions of them; ideas and cultural and historical experience give meaning to what we see; leaders motivated by sense of identity, morality, society/culture norms and not just on material interests.
What is War?
- Socially sanctioned use of violence to achieve political ends
- Clausewitz - Continuation of politics by other means
- Nature of War (Enduring) vs Character of War (Changing)
What are interests and their levels?
Desired End States Necessary to the Existence or Prosperity of a Nation or Group
- Survival
- Vital
- Important
- Peripheral
Echelons of Strategy
- Grand Strategy (System Level): A Nation’s role in the world
- National Strategy (State Level): Alignment of E,W,M to achieve nation’s objectives
- Theater Strategy (Individual Level): Alignment of Military E,W,M, to support National Objectives
Describe the components of War
(1) Nature of War (Unchanging) - violence; reasons for war (Fear, Honor, Interest); Human Element
(2) Character of War (constantly changing) - Impact of technology; new TTPs; Ends, Means, & Ways Strategies
Clausewitz Trinity
Passion - Chance - Reason
Clausewitz - Key Theorists
Trinity: (Reason, Passion, Chance)
Triangle: (Gov - People - Military);
- War is continuation of politics by other means
- War is a duel on a larger scale
- No one should start war w/o clear mind on what and how he intends to achieved
Sun Tzu - Key Theorists
- War is of vital importance to the State
- All warfare is based on Deception
- Where he is strong avoid him
- Know the enemy; know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril
Military Power in Int’l politics (Troxell)
Overarching (Security Policy/Political Objectives)
- Defeat
- Coerce - Deter or Compel
- Other - Pressure or Dissuade
- Assist - HA or DR
Deterrence
- The action of discouraging an Act or Event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences
- Based on Understanding & Influencing an opponents decision-making
Dissuasion
- Pre-deterrence to Influence Decision-Making
- Actions to prevent Adversary from developing
(1) Capabilities before they can be used
(2) Courses of action before they can be applied
Coercion
- Interaction that uses explicit threats & action to Persuade an adversary to:
(1) Cease Behavior
(2) Withdraw from positions (gained by force)
(3) Surrender Assets (gained by force)
