National interests guide the choices of U.S. policy makers. When contemplating the use of the military instrument of national power to achieve policy objectives through war, either traditional or irregular, three considerations should remain at the forefront: moral, legal, and prudential. The questions resulting from these deliberations should be sequenced as follows: 1.Are we justified? 2.Are we following the law? 3.Can we actually do what is proposed? Reflecting on these questions also contributes to the moral, ethical, and intellectual development of the members of the profession of arms.
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