Wars Without Passion, How Technology is Trying to Transform the Clausewitzian Trinity

Abstract

Operations Desert Fox and Allied Force not only showed that the US could conduct offensive military actions without suffering any friendly casualties, but that these activities could occur without the involvement of the American people. This paper attempts to show that such approaches are both shortsighted and dangerous. The idea that wars can be fought in an antiseptic manner sets up unrealistic expectations for policymakers and the American people. These types of wars can also lead to strategic overstep, improper force structure, unwanted cultural changes within the military, and a scripted US response in crisis situations that may not be all that difficult to defeat by an astute adversary.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 05, 2001
Accession Number
ADA389601

Entities

People

  • Burke A. Tarble

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Bombing
  • Combat Areas
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Force Protection
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Political Science
  • Security
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

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