The "Tyranny of Means": Integrating the Weinberger-Powell and Abrams Doctrines
Abstract
The author hypothesizes that many observers have erroneously accepted the "way the world is" in terms of U.S. military involvement. The author argues that U.S. propensity for foreign adventures resides mainly from the policy-making level - the President and his administration. Strategic problems, such as the "corrosive effects of military operations other than war," "smaller scale contingency snowball," and "living a lie" stem from the current policy. The U.S. military is losing focus on its traditional primary mission - to fight and win the nation's wars. Few seem to ponder a future where policy and U.S. propensity for interventionism may be considerably different under a new administration. Senior military leaders must be prepared to advise on alternative national policies and strategies. The author offers alternatives for combining policy and strategy from the successful post-Cold War Bush Administration and the Cold War Eisenhower Administration and integrating the Weinberger-Powell and Abrams doctrines into a hybrid policy based strategy. Finally, he recommends a resulting force structure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 03, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA377578
Entities
People
- Christopher R. Paparone
Organizations
- United States Army War College