Principles of Economic Coercion: From the Sea

摘要

Sanctions are defined as, 'anything which serves to move a person to observe orrefrain from a given mode of conduct.' For sanctions to be effective, there must be credible enforcement mechanisms in place. Policy makers often utilize economic coercion, backed by the threat of military force, to elicit compliance. The employment of naval forces, to prevent movement of critical supplies, has been used throughout history to forward political or military objectives in time of war. In recent years, military forces have been called upon to enforce sanctions designed to promote peace and enhance regional stability. Using military forces to apply economic coercion during peacetime is a significant paradigm shift. Operational commanders will need to consider more than the 'principles of war' when planning sanctions enforcement. These operations fall under the broad umbrella labeled military operations other than war (MOOTW). Joint Pub 3-07 lists six principles that should be considered when engaging in MOOTW. They are; objective, unity of effort, security, restraint, perseverance, and legitimacy. While all are relevant to conducting sanctions enforcement, they fall short of providing a complete group of principles that could guide planning for economic coercion at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. This paper will address the six principles of MOOTW, as they apply to economic coercion. In addition, it will suggest four others; mass, economy of force, maneuver, and simplicity. Thoughtful consideration of these ten principles will assist planners involved in economic coercion, at the strategic, operational and tactical levels.