THE ERA OF CONSTANT COMPETITION – PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES
Posted byTom Harper July 29, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single author. This article was written by Thomas Harper and James Armstrong
Digging deeper, we noticed that the U.S. and British principles of war, as they stand, did not adequately address the notion of competition as part of the changing character of war in the 21st century
Military leaders in the United States and United Kingdom have been consistently using the term “competition” to describe the national security relationship with Russia and China. As students in the same seminar at the U.S. Army War College, we were confronted with the dilemma of trying to identify a clearly articulated strategic purpose of competition to inform discussion and develop national security strategies. The big question is, what, exactly, is the United States, United Kingdom, and the West competing for? Military dominance? Liberal world order? Economic status? Digging deeper, we noticed that the U.S. and British principles of war, as they stand, did not adequately address the notion of competition as part of the changing character of war in the 21st century. This short article, aimed at national security professionals on both sides of the Atlantic, proposes a strategic aim of competition and new supporting principles of war as a means for further discussion and ultimately, resolution.
https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/purpose-principles/
