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Pengumuman On War and Its ApplicationToday
Pengumuman On War and Its ApplicationToday
On War and Its ApplicationToday
COL LARRY D. NEW, USAF
CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, the renowned theorist of war, stated that “a certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy.”1
Recognizing the reality of government leaders not being military experts, he went on to say, “The only sound expedient is to make the commander-in-chief a member of the cabinet.”2 Many governments, including that of the United States, are so organized that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the top military advisor to the president. Our record of military success in this century indicates Clausewitz was right. The stronger the relationship between the nation’s senior military commanders and the government, the more effective we have been at using the military instrument of foreign policy to achieve national political objectives. The strength of that relationship depends on the commander’s ability to communicate and the states-man’s ability to grasp the inherent linkage between the nature of war, the purpose of war, and the conduct of war. Clausewitz called this linkage a paradoxical trinity with three aspects: the people, the commander and his army, and the government.3 The people have to do with the nature of war, the military with the conduct of war, and the government with the purpose of war. This paper addresses how Clausewitzian theory applies to America’s recent history and how the theory that holds true may be applied to future situations in which the military instrument is considered or used in foreign policy.
CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, the renowned theorist of war, stated that “a certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy.”1
Recognizing the reality of government leaders not being military experts, he went on to say, “The only sound expedient is to make the commander-in-chief a member of the cabinet.”2 Many governments, including that of the United States, are so organized that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the top military advisor to the president. Our record of military success in this century indicates Clausewitz was right. The stronger the relationship between the nation’s senior military commanders and the government, the more effective we have been at using the military instrument of foreign policy to achieve national political objectives. The strength of that relationship depends on the commander’s ability to communicate and the states-man’s ability to grasp the inherent linkage between the nature of war, the purpose of war, and the conduct of war. Clausewitz called this linkage a paradoxical trinity with three aspects: the people, the commander and his army, and the government.3 The people have to do with the nature of war, the military with the conduct of war, and the government with the purpose of war. This paper addresses how Clausewitzian theory applies to America’s recent history and how the theory that holds true may be applied to future situations in which the military instrument is considered or used in foreign policy.
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