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What is War?�

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Reality of Warfare

War will happen…

At the worst possible time
In the worst possible place
With the worst possible enemy

YOUR job is to wage war…better than the enemy

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Overview

Definition
Nature vs Character of War
Clausewitz’s Three Enduring Truths
Forms of Warfare
Competition Continuum

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Definition of War

“War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale… Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit to his will… War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to do our will.”

- Carl von Clausewitz

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Nature vs Character of War

The nature of war, its essence and purpose, is unchanging within the human condition.

War is a fundamentally human endeavor, its nature inextricably linked to our unchanging human nature
War uses violence to attain its ends
Nature of War is a constant

By contrast, its character, the conduct of warfare, is in constant flux.

The form of warfare may change
Reflects political, military, economic, and technological dynamics of a society
Consider warfare from 1945 to today; what has changed and what has remained?

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Clausewitz: Enduring Truths

War is an instrument of policy
War is a complex and chaotic human endeavor
War is a clash of opposing wills

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Enduring Truth #1

National Policy pursued through War

War is a failure of diplomacy…a continuation of policy by different means
Success in war measured by policy objectives achieved

Objectives shape scope and intensity

Neville Chamberlain

Japan surrenders after WWII

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War: Two Basic Themes

The POLITICAL Side

The MILITARY Side

“POLICY”

“VIOLENCE”

Union Council of War, Gettysburg 1863

Meeting of The Big Three at Yalta, 1945

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Political Objective…�a Better State of Peace

“Civilized Manner of War”

Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)
The Hague and Geneva Conventions
Rules of Engagement (ROEs)

Failure leads to unstable peace!
Leave combat zone better than when we entered it

Sir Liddell Hart 1895 - 1970

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Levels of War

In General Terms:

Strategic – WHY we & enemy fight, ends
Operational – WHAT action / WHAT resources, ways
Tactical – HOW we fight, means

Level not determined by a specific weapon or target, but on the desired effect

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Enduring Truth #2

War is a complex and chaotic human endeavor

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Factors Dominating War

Fog
Friction
Chance

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Factors: “Fog” of War

Difficulty to see and understand what’s happening in battle
Once a literal “fog”
Now more figuratively:

Too much happening
Misinformation
Conflicting information

Overwhelmed with too much info

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Factors: “Friction” of War

Murphy’s Law at its worst!

Bombs miss their target
Enemies don’t act as expected

Sound doctrine, good leadership, effective organization, moral values, and realistic training can lessen the effects of uncertainty
Friction is that which seems easy in war planning made difficult in reality!

“Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.” - Clausewitz

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Factors: “Chance” in War

Plain “dumb luck” and fortune.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claus_von_Stauffenberg#/media/File:VStauffenberg_1944.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35)

Slide Example: Operation VALKYRIE, assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler. On 20 July 1944, the German resistance attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by employing a bomb hidden in a briefcase at a military conference. A decorated German officer, Col Claus von Stauffenberg placed a briefcase under the table around which Hitler and approximately 20 other senior German officers were gathered. When the bomb went off, several officers were killed, but not Hitler—the heavy oak leg of the conference table, behind which the bomb had been placed, deflected the blast away from the German leader. Its failure led to the execution of more than 200 people and the destruction of the German resistance movement.

Slide Example: The sinking of the USS Indianapolis. The USS Indianapolis was tasked with the "top secret" mission of delivering the first atomic bomb used in WWII. After completing her mission, she returned to sea and was enroute back to her home port. While returning, out in the Philippine Sea, she was attacked and sunk early on the morning of 30 July 1945 by a Japanese submarine. During the subsequent courts martial of the USS Indianapolis' Captain (0-6) CPT, Charles B. McVay III, US Navy, the commander of the Japanese sub (Mochitsura Hashimoto) testified it was a lucky shot. The Japanese submarine was turning around and heading back to its homeport, when the commander (Hashimoto) took one last look through the periscope, caught a glimpse of something that turned out to be the USS Indianapolis, fired a torpedo, striking and sinking the ship. This resulted in the deaths of 879 crewmembers.

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Enduring Truth #3

War is a clash of opposing wills

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Forms of Warfare

Traditional Warfare: Force-on-force military operations using conventional capabilities

Focuses on dominance over adversary’s ability to sustain war-fighting capability

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Forms of Warfare

Irregular Warfare: Struggle for influence over relevant populations which favors indirect and asymmetric approaches

Focuses on population-centric approaches that affect actors, behaviors, relationships, and stability in the area

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Forms of Warfare

Traditional Warfare / Irregular Warfare

Actual warfare seldom fits neatly into categories
Combination of both usually most effective
Can rapidly evolve into the other

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Competition Continuum

“Our adversaries have studied our military strengths and way of war. They have implemented approaches that pursue their strategic objectives while avoiding the deterrent tripwires upon which our national security posture is based. Simply put, US adversaries intend to ‘win without fighting.’”

Joint Concept for Competing (Feb 2023)

This has caused the DoD to:

Expand the Competitive Mindset
Shape the Competitive Space

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Competition Continuum

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Summary

Definition
Nature vs Character of War
Clausewitz’s Three Enduring Truths
Forms of Warfare
Competition Continuum