Theory of War and Strategy - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

350 Pages·2008·2.32 MB·English

by  J. Boone Bartholomees

U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE
GUIDE TO NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
VOLUME I:
THEORY OF WAR AND STRATEGY
3rd Edition
Revised and Expanded
Edited by
J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
Department of National Security and Strategy
June 2008
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ISBN 1-58487-356-6
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CONTENTS
VOLUME I: THEORY OF WAR AND STRATEGY
Introduction
J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. .........................................................................................................vii
I. Strategic Theory ........................................................................................................................... 1
1. Why Is Strategy Difficult?
David Jablonsky ............................................................................................................... 3
2. A Survey of the Theory of Strategy
J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. ..............................................................................................13
3. Toward a Theory of Strategy:
Art Lykke and The U.S. Army War College Strategy Model
Harry R. Yarger ...............................................................................................................43
4. The Strategic Appraisal: The Key To Effective Strategy
Harry R. Yarger ...............................................................................................................51
5. Managing Strategic Risk
James F. Holcomb ...........................................................................................................65
6. A Theory of Victory
J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. ..............................................................................................79
7. Toward a Strategic Theory of Terrorism:
Defining Boundaries in the Ongoing Search for Security
Frank L. Jones ..................................................................................................................95
8. Landpower in Traditional Theory and Contemporary Application
G. K. Cunningham ........................................................................................................107
9. Thucydides and Contemporary Strategy
R. Craig Nation .............................................................................................................129
II. The Elements of Power ..........................................................................................................143
10. National Power
David Jablonsky ............................................................................................................145
11. National Power
R. Craig Nation .............................................................................................................163
12. Strategic Communication: Wielding The Information Element of Power
Dennis M. Murphy........................................................................................................175
13. Diplomacy as an Instrument of National Power
Reed J. Fendrick ............................................................................................................189
14. Theory and Practice of Modern Diplomacy: Origins and Development to 1914
Louis J. Nigro, Jr. ..........................................................................................................195
15. Military Power and the Use of Force
John F. Troxell ...............................................................................................................209
16. Political Economy and National Security: A Primer
Janeen M. Klinger .........................................................................................................235
17. Economics: A Key Element of National Power
Clayton K. S. Chun .......................................................................................................249
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III. Strategic Issues and Considerations.....................................................................................261
18. Air Power Theory: An Analytical Narrative
from the First World War to the Present
Tami Davis Biddle ........................................................................................................263
19. John Warden’s Five Ring Model and the Indirect Approach to War
Clayton K. S. Chun .......................................................................................................295
20. Spacepower: A Strategic Assessment and a Way Forward
Jeffrey A. Farnsworth ...................................................................................................309
21. Network-centric Warfare: Leveraging the Power of Information
Jeffrey L. Groh ...............................................................................................................323
Appendix I: Contributors ..............................................................................................................339
iv
FIGURES - VOLUME I
Chapter 1
Figure 1. The Policy Continuum ......................................................................................4
Figure 2. The Remarkable Trinity .................................................................................... 5
Figure 3. The Impact of Technology ................................................................................5
Figure 4. The Continuum of War .....................................................................................8
Figure 5. National Strategy: The Horizontal Plane ........................................................9
Figure 6. National Strategy and the Vertical Continuum of War ................................9
Chapter 3
Figure 1. Strategic and Operational Art ........................................................................45
Figure 2. Comprehensiveness of Strategy .....................................................................46
Figure 3. The Lykke Model .............................................................................................46
Chapter 4
Figure 1. Strategic Appraisal Process .............................................................................52
Figure 2. Realms of Strategy ............................................................................................53
Figure 3. Levels of Intensity ............................................................................................56
Figure 4. Strategic Factors ................................................................................................56
Figure 5. Strategic Thinking Competencies ..................................................................59
Chapter 5
Figure 1. Value and Cost/Risk Factors ..........................................................................69
Chapter 6
Figure 1. Scale of Success .................................................................................................82
Figure 2. Scale of Decisiveness ........................................................................................83
Figure 3. Scale of Achievement .......................................................................................83
Chapter 8
Figure 1. The Range of Effectiveness of Military Options ........................................118
Figure 2. Responsibilities of a Theater Army in Joint and
Combined Operations ...................................................................................122
Chapter 10
Figure 1. Gain and Risk Assessment ............................................................................157
Chapter 15
Figure 1. Components of Security Policy ....................................................................211
Figure 2. Evaluations of Compellent Threats .............................................................214
Figure 3. Range of Military Operations .......................................................................216
Figure 4. Guidelines for the Use of Force ....................................................................219
Figure 5. Weinburger Doctrine from Vietnam to Iraq ...............................................222
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Chapter 16
Figure 1. Shares in the World Economy ......................................................................240

Chapter 19
Figure 1. Five Ring Model .............................................................................................299
Chapter 21
Figure 1. The Network Centric Operations Conceptual Framework .....................326
Figure 2. Tenets of NCW and the Value .....................................................................328
vi
INTRODUCTION
J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
The U. S. Army War College Guide (USAWC) to National Security Issues is the latest edition of the
U. S. Army War College Guide to National Security Policy and Strategy, which the college has published
sporadically under different titles since 2001. This edition of the Guide is in two volumes that
correspond roughly to the two core courses that the Department of National Security and Strategy
(DNSS) teaches: “Theory of War and Strategy” and “National Security Policy and Strategy.” Like its
predecessors, this edition is largely an expansion of the existing materials, although over 40 percent
is new, and the previously published chapters have been updated as necessary. The authors, with
one exception all current or former members of the faculty, represent each of the four primary
teaching departments of the college. The exception is the inclusion this year of a chapter on space
power by a recent graduate—the chapter was his research project while a student. The appendix
on the USAWC strategy formulation model in the second volume reflects the alterations in that
fundamental document made for the 2008 academic year (2007-08).
Although DNSS uses several of the chapters in this volume as readings for its core courses,
and at least one other department uses chapters in its core instruction, this is not a textbook. It
does reflect, however, both the method and manner we use to teach the theory of war and the
formulation of national security strategy to America’s future senior leaders. As we continue to
refine and update the Guide, we intend to increase course-oriented essays, and several of the new
chapters were written specifically to support instruction. The book is also not a comprehensive or
exhaustive treatment of either the theory of war, strategy, or the policymaking process.
The Guide is organized in broad clusters of chapters addressing general subject areas. Chapters
are placed in general blocks for convenience, not as a rigid framework. I made no effort to constrain
or shape the authors’ work based on where I saw the chapter fitting in the book. Thus, some
chapters might have been placed in several blocks, and their presence in a specific block should not
be considered a restrictive form of categorization. Volume I starts with theoretical issues on war
and strategy. The second block examines power both conceptually and in terms of the elements
of power. The volume concludes with studies on specific theoretical issues. The second volume
on national security strategy and policy opens with a look at the U.S. security community and
its functions. The second block expands to multinational issues and considerations. The volume
concludes with studies of specific policy issues or considerations.
vii

PART I
STRATEGIC THEORY