AFROTC AS100s:07 War & American Militar

War And The American Military : 

War And The American Military AFROTC Det 890

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Reality of Warfare : 

Reality of Warfare War will happen… At the worst possible time In the worst possible place With the worst possible enemy YOUR job is to wage war… … better than the enemy

Overview : 

Overview Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War

Enduring Truths of War : 

An instrument of national policy A complex and chaotic human endeavor A clash of opposing wills Enduring Truths of War

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“War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale… Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit to his will… War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to do our will.” – Carl von Clausewitz Definition of War

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Two Sides of War Politics and violence are intertwined War is policy… … “that fights battles instead of writing notes” War is the continuation of politics with the addition of other means

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War is a last resort of policy We exhaust diplomatic efforts! When military engages, the political process doesn’t stop Bottom line: Success in war can only be measured by whether political objectives are achieved National Policy Through War

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“War is an instrument of national policy”

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Wage war in a civilized manner Law of Armed Conflict Geneva & Hague Conventions Rules of Engagement (ROEs) Leave the combat zone better than when we entered it… … Failure leads to unstable peace! Better State of Peace

Interim Summary : 

Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War Interim Summary

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How we will terminate combat operations must be considered from the onset of military planning and be refined as we engage in conflict Not enough to achieve a decisive military victory The military end-state must be linked to political objectives True regardless of level of conflict Conflict Resolution

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Factors affecting conflict resolution: Underlying causes of war Complex human and political factors that shaped war How well we link military operations to desired political objectives Bottom line: How we come to end war is as critical to our success as how we waged our combat operations Conflict Resolution (cont.)

Interim Summary : 

Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War Interim Summary

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Realism Holy War Pacifism Just War Theory (JWT) Viewpoints on War

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Wars are clashes of power and interest Moral constraints should never be put above a nation’s self-interest Focuses on military necessity, where all methods can or should be used to achieve victory: Burning of Atlanta in Civil War Bombing civilian centers in WWII Realism

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Wars aren’t merely human affairs: Divine instruments of judgment Authorized by God God responsible for outcome Cosmic battle between Good and Evil Holy War

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“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Opposes war as a means of settling disputes and advocates use of arbitration, surrender, or even migration Spectrum ranges from avoidance of war at all costs to war only as a last resort Pacifism

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Killing is morally unacceptable… but war is inevitable Attempts to determine when war is morally justified and define what actions are permissible Focuses on protection of non-combatants & waging war within clearly defined rules Bottom line: Combatants should fight for a just cause and employ just means Just War Theory

Interim Summary : 

Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War Interim Summary

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“War is a complex and chaotic human endeavor”

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Fog Friction Chance Factors Dominating War

Fog : 

Fog Difficulty to see and understand what’s happening in battle Once a literal “fog,” now taken more figuratively: Too much happening Misinformation Conflicting information Easy to become overwhelmed with too much information!

Friction : 

Friction Murphy’s Law… at its worst Troops are lost Bombs miss their target Enemies don’t act as expected Friction is that which seems easy in war planning made difficult in reality! “Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.” – Clausewitz

Chance : 

Chance Plain dumb luck and fortune. . .

Interim Summary : 

Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War Interim Summary

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“War is a clash of opposing wills”

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Participants Motives Objectives Scope of War Level of Violence Means Used Asymmetry Elements of War

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Participants State vs. State Iraq-Iran War Groups within a state Former Republic of Yugoslavia Non-State entities IRA, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda...

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Secular ideology.... Ethnic / tribal hatred…. Religion…. Territory…. Economic gain…. Revenge…. Pre-emptive…. Motives Communist vs Capitalist Tutsis vs Hutus Crusades, jihad, etc German conquest in WWII Hitler’s rise to power Spanish-American War Six-Day War of 1967 Usually a mixture of some or all the above!

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Objectives Total: Political overthrow and/or extermination of your enemy (i.e., ethnic cleansing) Limited: Concessions

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Global WWI and WWII Regional Six Day War Local Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, etc. Scope of War

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Total (Unlimited) War Complete mobilization, both of forces and national resources (i.e., WWII) Limited Restrain forces being used Levels of Violence

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Means Employed Weapons of Mass Destruction CBRNE Conventional Guerilla / Urban warfare Irregular forces vs Regular forces Urban warfare brings its own unique challenges Terrorism … Theme of modern warfare!

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Adversaries NOT fighting the SAME war Different motives, objectives, means, etc. Capitalize on these differences GWOT exemplifies this “unevenness concept”… Consider: Are the participants the same? Do we employ the same means? Are our motives the same? Asymmetry

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Asymmetry (cont.) Poses very real threat to US interests… Consider 9/11, when Al Qaeda hijacked an air force with a 75% success ratio! Asymmetric warfare requires us to adapt our doctrine to counter this new threat Adapt our own asymmetric capabilities Capitalize on strengths our enemy can’t adapt to Exploit the advantages we gain from asymmetry

Summary : 

Summary Definition Conflict Resolution Viewpoints on War Factors Dominating War Elements of War

War And The American Military : 

War And The American Military Questions?