Linking Strategy to the Operational Art: Does Our Current Alliance Based Strategy Inhibit Realistic Campaign Planning?

摘要

The purpose of this monograph is to determine the adequacy of our current, alliance based, conventional force strategy. The scope is limited to the application of force to achieve the national objectives of deterrence and containment. The problem of maintenance of order in an anarchical system of states is set aside with minimal comment. The monograph begins with a review of the strategic context to examine the impact of evolution of the containment objective since Vietnam, changes in distribution of national power, alliance stability and the nuclear balance. Next, the nature of deterrence is analyzed to distinguish the objective from the means to attain the objective. Then our current alliance based strategy, with emphasis on NATO, is compared to the strategic environment developed previously. This comparison reveals, what the author believes to be shortcomings in resources and campaign sequels. Possible fixes for the shortcomings are developed in the final part of the monograph. The author concludes, that our strategy, Forward Defense and Flexible Response in NATO terminology, is not inadequate, but rather, is incomplete. (KR)