Making Strategy

1. Making Strategy

2. “War is an extension of politics by other means.” - Carl von Clausewitz

3. Overview • Definitions • Doctrine • National Objectives • Grand Strategy • Military Strategy • Operational Strategy • Battlefield Strategy • Influences on the Strategy Process

4. Definitions • Policy—Guidance that is directive or instructive, stating what is to be accomplished • Objectives and rules of engagement • Mutable and often changes

5. Definitions • Strategy—The art and science of coordinating the development, deployment, and employment of military forces to achieve national security objectives

6. Definitions • Doctrine—A statement of officially sanctioned beliefs, war-fighting principles, and terminology that describes and guides the proper use of military forces in support of national objectives • How a job should be done • Evolves from experience and theory • Authoritative, but unlike policy, not directive

7. Doctrine • Common frame of reference • Shapes how AF organizes, trains, equips, and sustains • Prepares us for future uncertainties • Used with judgment • Political, economic, or social situation may dictate departure from doctrine

8. National Objectives • The fundamental aims, goals, or purposes of a nation toward which a policy is directed, and efforts & resources are applied • Three Levels of Interest • Vital • Major • Peripheral

9. National Objectives • Vital Interests—Broad, overriding importance to the survival, safety, and vitality of our nation • State is not willing to compromise on • State is generally willing to go to war to protect

10. National Objectives • Major interests—Affect our national well-being • May use force…not normally necessary • Peacekeeping operations • Reconnaissance missions

11. National Objectives • Peripheral Interests—Our nation may act because our values demand it • Response to disasters • Human rights violations • Environmental protection

12. National Objectives • Interests are often intertwined • Vietnam? • Kosovo? • Iraq? • Afghanistan?

13. SSG pg. 97

14. Grand Strategy • Development & use of ALL national power instruments and the coordination of these instruments • Political • Economic • Information • Military

15. Grand Strategy Players • President • Congress • National Media • Interest groups/Public opinion

17. Military Challenges* • Traditional challenges • Irregular challenges • Catastrophic challenges • Disruptive challenges * National Security Strategy 2006

18. Current Military Strategy • Strategic Objectives • Achieving Our Objectives • Managing Risk

19. Current Military Strategy • To support the NSS and provide enduring security for the American people, the Department has five key objectives: • Defend the Homeland • Win the Long War • Promote Security • Deter Conflict • Win our Nation’s Wars

20. Current Military Strategy • We will achieve our objectives by… • Shaping the choices of key states; • Preventing adversaries from acquiring or using WMD; • Strengthening and expanding alliances & partnerships; • Securing U.S. strategic access and retaining freedom of action; and, • Integrating and unifying our efforts

21. Current Military Strategy • Managing Risk • Operational • Future Challenges • Force Management • Institutional

23. Operational Strategy • The art and science of planning, orchestrating, and directing military campaigns within a theater of operations to achieve national security objectives

24. Operational Strategy • What does it do? • Levels of operational strategy • Combined campaigns • Joint campaigns • Component campaigns

25. Operational Strategy • Orchestration of all military efforts in the theater • Goal is to win the theater war • Achieve the military objective • Military objective contributes to the achievement of a political objective

27. Battlefield Strategy (Tactics) • The art and science of employing forces on the battlefield to achieve national security objectives

28. Battlefield Strategy • Dynamic level of operations • Difficult to talk about in general terms • nuclear war • operations other than war • conventional war • space war • information war • urban warfare • desert war • the list goes on......

30. Points to Remember… • National objectives drive the process • Grand Strategy incorporates and/or coordinates all the instruments of national power…not just military • Military Strategy supports national objectives • Operational and Battlefield Strategy must be flexible • Several influences on the strategy process

31. Summary • Definitions • Doctrine • National Objectives • Grand Strategy • Military Strategy • Operational Strategy • Battlefield Strategy • Influences on the Strategy Process

32. “If the world is to have ONE superpower, thank God it is the United States of America.” - Gen Khalid, Saudi Arabia

33. QUESTIONS?