War Termination: Dreaming of the End and the Ultimate Triumph

Today, the United States is involved in multiple conflicts throughout the world. Our involvement is at least partially a result of a National Security Strategy (NSS) which places military forces at the forefront of foreign policy. Military doctrine and concepts focus on battlefield operations, not on the historically more difficult war termination - and not on ultimate triumph. Like war itself, war termination is both political and military, structured and unstructured, art and science. To realize national strategic objectives and develop a triumphant peace, operational commanders must shun the current vision of the U.S. Armed Forces, look critically at conflict termination theories, and expand the boundaries of operational art and doctrine. The challenge facing operational commanders after ending a regime and in the midst of nation building is substantial. Although doctrine sees leverage as a critical ingredient in warfare, leverage is also a key element in reaching an acceptable war termination. Leverage may take conventional and unconventional forms. There is an appropriate saying about the military, when you see yourself as a hammer, every problem is a nail. To meet the current strategic security needs as outlined in the current NSS, the military establishment must grow from a single tool to become a tool box.