The Creeping Irrelevance of U.S. Force Planning

Abstract

The author examines the transition from the Cold War to the post-Cold War world, which has ranged from strategic urgency to strategic uncertainty, at times leading to the unexpected and often violent disintegration of established states. He believes U.S. force planning, for decades riveted on the prospect of massive conventional and even nuclear operations against a militarily-like adversary, now confronts a strategic environment heavily populated by sub-state threats whose suppression places a premium on preparation for so- called "military operations other than war" (MOOTW). The author's critical analysis leads him to propose significant and controversial changes in planning standards, force structure, and defense spending. He concludes that focus on the familiar and comfortable multiple conventional war scenarios is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a world of small wars and MOOTW.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 19, 1998
Accession Number
ADA349062

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey Record

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Cold War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Conventional Warfare
  • Force Structure
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Second World War
  • Standards
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies