Theater CINCs--Warriors or Politicians,
Abstract
Thesis is that a successful theater commander is not only militarily astute, but politically and diplomatically skilled as well--refuting the criticism that present theater force employment strategies are needlessly emphasizing politics at the expense of readiness. It examines historical cases where the ability of the theater commander to function in a realm where decisions are not solely based on military analysis but must take into account both internal and external political dynamics. After a review of past war and peacetime cases, it analyzes the current theater strategies of three regional CINCs from the perspective of whether political elements are given tco much weight in these current peacetime CINC campaign plans. Paper concludes that as history shows and current world strategic environment dictates, political and diplomatic considerations are as important to a successful CINC as ensuring continued combat readiness of assigned forces in structuring his theaters operations in support of the current national strategy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 16, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA298573
Entities
People
- Russell S. Carnot
Organizations
- Naval War College