PDA

View Full Version : The Top 100 Rules of the New American Way of War



thedrifter
01-10-03, 06:19 PM
Proceedings, January 2003
By Dr. Thomas P. M. Barnett and Dr. Henry H. Gaffney Jr.

The Paths to War

The United States Stands Ready for Any Type of War

1. The U.S. military stays ready because it understands that while the world is full of ongoing situations in which it remains involved, it must be prepared for any acts of war against the United States that come "out of the blue."

2. U.S. forces believe in constant training, both to facilitate their command of their complex war-making system and to deal with a wide variety of circumstances.

3. Because the United States must move forces long distances to fight, it does extensive contingency planning to conquer the time and distance factors.

Whom the United States Fights in Wars

4. The United States wages war on states or nonstate actors that attack or threaten to attack the U.S. homeland.

5. The United States wages war on states or nonstate actors that attack U.S. military forces or other instruments of the government; because the United States is the de facto global cop, any such attack is perceived as an attack on global stability itself.

6. If all other measures fail, the United States reserves the right to bring war preemptively to states or nonstate actors that actively seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction for use against the United States or any of its allies.

7. The United States wages war on states that harbor or actively support ter-rorist groups with transnational objectives and reach, and this war encompasses all elements of U.S. national power.

8. Maintaining a commitment to global stability, the United States wages war on states or nonstate actors that threaten or launch wars against our key allies, including other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, Israel, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and others.

Where the United States Is Ready to Fight Wars

9. The United States is prepared to intervene within the west-ern hemisphere, and especially in the Caribbean and Central Amer-ican areas, because this is its neighborhood.

10. The United States is ready to defend against aggression in Europe because this was the source of the worst wars of the past and because NATO is its strongest and oldest security alliance.

11. The United States is ready to wage war in Southwest Asia, particularly in the Persian Gulf region, where it is the only power capable of stabilizing the area—thus ensuring the continuing flow of energy out of the region.

12. In strong alliance with Japan, the United States is prepared to deter or defeat a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and a North Korean attack on South Korea.

13. Beyond these cases, the United States is ready to go anywhere to combat terrorist groups that are part of a global organization and plot.

What Triggers the United States to Go to War

14. The United States retaliates automatically to any direct attack against its homeland, although this may not be instantaneous in the case of a terrorist attack because a nonstate actor’s identity and home base may not immediately be clear.

15. Other than in response to direct attacks on the United States, there currently are five situations where the United States reflexively would engage in war: * If Iraq were to attack Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Israel; * If China were to attack Taiwan; * If North Korea were to attack South Korea; * If Iran or Iraq were to attempt to close the Persian Gulf to oil traffic; * If al Qaeda or any successor terrorist group attacks U.S. citizens, forces, or property anywhere in the world.

16. Outside of those circumstances, any overt U.S. war effort will follow an extensive debate within the U.S. and international political system, with the critical questions being: * How much congressional and public debate? * How much U.N. consultation/approval? * What level of allied consultation and contributions?

17. The United States pursues covert operations as part of the global war on terrorism in accordance withpresidential findings.

U.S. Goals in the Conduct of War

18. Beyond preserving or restoring national security, the fundamental U.S. goal is sustaining global norms against the aggressive use of force, meaning U.S. actions are limited to those states or actors that transgress these rule sets.

19. Beyond that, U.S. interventions are meant to ensure aggression does not reoccur by supporting the institution of the rule of law and democracy.

20. In waging war, the United States seeks to protect the functioning of the global economy as necessary, since trade can flourish only under conditions of peace and freedom under law.

21. In any conflict, the United States seeks to limit its own absolute losses, so as not to damage the American public’s support both for the intervention in question and for this nation's long-term involvement in international security.

22. The United States seeks to limit collateral damage, thus to limit foreign resentment concerning the use of U.S. military force and to set the stage for restoration of economies and government once the conflict has ended.

Whose Help the United States Seeks in War

23. The United States seeks as much approval, cooperation, and mutual agree-ment as possible from the global community for any conflict it responds to or initiates, because it wants all such actions to further the advance of collective security.

24. When practicable, the United States seeks approval and sanction in the U.N. forum, but reserves the right to act unilaterally or to organize a "coalition of the willing" if such consensus cannot be found.

25. As appropriate, the United States seeks the aid and agreement of the other NATO countries (especially the United Kingdom) because they are its closest allies and can provide forces most able to join U.S. efforts.

The Conduct of War

How the United States Commands in War

26. U.S. political control is direct and detailed at the start and conclusion of any war, and is coordinated with diplomatic actions.

27. The Unified Combatant Commander plans operations in detail.

28. The Unified Combatant Commander manages relations with involved coalition partners. 29. Combined Joint Task Forces closer to the action execute the plans, while keeping the Unified Combatant Commander fully informed.

30. As one specialized command, a Joint Forces Air Control Center or Combined Air Operations Center is set up to manage all air assets.

31. The common operational picture, compiled from extensively networked data and information flows, is available to every command element in the chain.

What the United States Mobilizes and Takes to Any War

32. Any war the United States wages involves all elements of national power, meaning the United States works to defeat its enemy in every way possible: * Destroying their ability to wage war * Isolating them from potential allies * Denying them resources * Denying them the sympathy of others

33. The United States establishes logistical lines of communi-cation because—aside from homeland defense—all operations are "overseas," and for the most part not likely to be where U.S. forces are stationed permanently. Thus the United States maintains and obtains airlift and sealift to get equipment, personnel, and supplies to the theater in sufficient time and quantities.

34. Relying heavily on space assets, the United States mobilizes a global information grid to achieve information dominance before a single shot is fired.

35. The United States brings as much firepower of the joint forces to bear as possible, supported by intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance within a comprehensive command-and-control system so it can be applied as precisely as possible.


http://www.military.com/NewContent?file=NI_Top_0103



Sempers,

Roger