RETHINK USE-OF-FORCE THEORY
LT. GEN. JAMES M. DUBIK, U.S. ARMY RETIRED
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
U.S. political and military leaders, as well as the American citizenry, are stuck in at least six intellectual ruts when it comes to understanding how to use force. Metaphorically spinning our wheels in these ruts has produced suboptimal choices and decisions in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Strategists and veterans are left asking themselves whether sacrifices made by service members, their families and the nation for 20 years were “worth it.” If we can’t break free of these mindsets, we lower the probability of future success.
What are these ruts? They represent a set of six false beliefs:
1. War is binary. “War” and “not war” is the wrong perspective. Using force is more unitary than binary, and all uses of force share four common characteristics. First is teleological: All uses of force have (or should have) a purpose to accomplish. Second, all uses of force occur on four levels—the tactical, operational, strategic and grand strategic levels. Third, all require that senior political and military leaders exercise skill in three core areas:
https://www.ausa.org/articles/rethink-use-force-theory
