Before War Strategy Is Settled, Political Aims Must Be Defined

摘要

Amid uncertainty and unease about the future of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, it may be worth looking back at how the nation coped with similar circumstances in decades past. In "The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy," Russell F. Weigley cites nine "Principles of War" that date back to 1921, when the War Department published training regulations No. 10-5. The first of these was the "principle of the objective," which is defined as a clear, decisive and attainable target. Today, the U.S. Army field manual FM-3 has the same list.