Backing into War: A Critical Analysis of the Military Commitment to the War on Drugs
Abstract
This paper examines examines the role of the Department of Defense (DoD) in America's war on drugs. It is a critical analysis of the strategy that employs U.S. military forces. This paper reviews the military's historical support to the federal law enforcement community and focuses on the Congressional mandate that committed military forces to direct participation in the border interdiction program. The analysis includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the military's efforts and examines those efforts with respect to the traditional principles and concepts that govern the employment of military forces as an instrument of national power. The paper concludes that Congressional action designating DoD as the lead agency for detection and monitoring severely restricted the military's ability to develop an effective strategy; that the strategy is, in fact, ineffective. The paper recommends redefining the DoD role in border interdiction and the development of an effective strategy to support the national supply reduction efforts.... Commitment, Measure of effectiveness, Operational art.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 22, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA264166
Entities
People
- Benjamin A. Watson
Organizations
- Naval War College