Preview

Principle of War

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1136 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Principle of War
PRINCIPLES OF WAR

1. Selection and maintenance of the aim
It is imperative not to take the first step without considering the last
Clausewitz was actually defining what is called the ‘end state’. Jomini also believed that the end state had to be stated in unambiguous political objectives, so that clear campaign objectives could be compiled. This requirement remains as relevant today as it was then.
Selection and maintenance of the aim are often referred to as the Master Principle. A single, clear aim is the cornerstone of successful military operations. In today’s operations, the three Services are likely to be supported by other government departments and agencies in prosecuting a ‘Collective Campaign’. In maintaining the aim, it is important for senior commanders and their staff to understand the political and civil, as well as the military, conditions that constitute success in relation to the strategic objectives.
Similarly, the senior commander may have non-military resources to help achieve his aim. As the Collective Campaign develops, the military aim may need to be reviewed and altered; this should be approved at the highest level.

2. Maintenance of morale
High morale is a quality without which no war can be won
Montgomery asserted that “the morale of the soldier is the most important single factor in war”.
Morale is a product of leadership, discipline, comradeship, and confidence in self and in the commander and his staff. Collective Leadership, based on trust, may be more suitable for the Collective Campaign in today’s world. It is imperative that all those conditions are maintained; once one component starts to drop, then morale will suffer.
The nation should not have to fight an unpopular war; the war must be accepted by the people, since a democracy cannot oppose the will of the majority of its citizens. Soldiers, as citizens, must therefore be convinced of the moral legitimacy of the military action. All commanders must appreciate

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Success: Military force must have a reasonable chance of success. Lives may not be sacrificed in futile causes.…

    • 2398 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “This publication was the fourth of a series on the Army's Professional Military Ethics (PME) that the Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey, started in 2009. General Casey encouraged the Army to think critically about our PME and promote dialog at all levels as we deepen our understanding of what this time-honored source of strength means to the profession today. In his book, Pfaff (2011) explores the cultural values, challenges the Army faces, in a time of persistent irregular conflicts. Pfaff argues that the challenges come from the nature of the conflict. The guerrilla soldiers change the nature of war from forcing your will on your enemy to convincing the enemy to accept your position.” (Pfaff,…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Just War Theory

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages

    What justifies war? Who justifies it? Why as human beings do we feel the need to fight, harm, and kill others to achieve certain goals? These questions have been pertinent to our society since the beginning of time and continue to challenge us to better understand the human psyche, and code of ethics that give Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines credence to kill in the name of the United States of America. These ethics of war lay the foundation for that code of understanding and righteousness for when it is justifiable to pull the trigger and take the life of another, or commit an act of war.…

    • 1946 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Strategic Thinking

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A guided response paper presented to the faculty of the U.S. Army War College, in partial satisfaction of the requirements of the Theory of War and Strategy (TWS) course.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a result of these functions conflicts are made such as competition, constraints, and power struggles. The manifest, latent, and dysfunctions relate to competition in that the military is always trying to excel to superiority at any cost. The fate of its soldiers is not a top priority. The constraints of these functions are ones set by the standards of the military. The good or the bad is not achieved unless the military allows for it. The manifest, latent, and dysfunctions relate to power struggles in that the militaries ultimate goal is to become as powerful as can be. This includes power over its soldiers. This power can limit the benefits that a soldier may receive and also the point to which a soldier is pushed.…

    • 653 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    An unbalanced force brings upon a challenge to effectively develop our Soldiers. It not only impedes our forces, but in turn it decreases our effectiveness and capability to employ when and where the nation needs forces and succeeding in the mission. We have learned over the many years through the first outbreaks of war and conflict how the lack of Senior leadership presence forced junior Soldiers to fight the war with no experience and expertise. As the war evolved, the Army logically adapted to a strategy of combat where all Soldiers became versatile. The balance of leadership also affects the balance of the Army’s culture, climate and its institutional practices. How well they are aligned effects the influences of today’s Army Soldiers and their commitment, fulfillment and welfare. The institutional management systems in today’s Army must be utilized to retain and motivate Soldiers to thrive as they continue to progress in the Organization. (An Army White Paper, The Profession of Arms,…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Leadership is defined as the process in which an individual influences the group of individuals to attain a common goal. The goal is attained by mutual cooperation and behavior. A leader has a sense of positivity and directs others to reach the specified goal. In The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, (JROTC) the leaders teach us how to become better leaders. They also teach us to build character and leadership by providing guidance and putting us cadets in a position that we are not accustomed to. This helps us adapt to new types of things. We also have to set the example for the school, especially when we wear our uniforms. When we put on that uniform it means we are to be a leader. People watch us because we have the uniform on and they know we are a part of JROTC therefore they expect more out of us. A leader is someone who stands not only for their cause but takes responsibility and motivates other individuals also. There is a difference between being a boss and a leader. A leader is a motivation for others and inspires individuals to aim higher and attain that aim. However, a boss only supervises over his inferiors. Power naturally comes to a leader but power has to be earned by a boss. The best leaders are those who can lead and direct without misuse of their power. They must be able to inspire others in a direction or greater good. They must be strong enough to stand firm in decision making and leading others without a selfish attitude. In order to be a successful leader it is essential to have good character. You must have honesty, confidence, communication, and commitment. You have to have honesty because if someone is doing something wrong you need to be able to have honest feedback. You need communication because you need to be able to command your platoon. You need to have commitment because you need to stick with it and create a relationship with your platoon so you, and they, will feel more…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mission Command Analysis

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Mission Command evolved from years of defining tactical leadership. As its official reference defines it, “Mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations”. This radical shift from centralized strict command to decentralized initiative evolved as a pragmatic result of the decentralized style of Wide Area Security operations our army has fought for 16 years. The six principles of Mission Command are: Build cohesive teams through mutual trust, create a shared understanding, provide a clear commander’s intent, exercise disciplined initiative, use mission…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Military leadership involves the rigorous application of a system of orders and obedience resulting in a hierarchy (Mann, 2000). Within this system of orders and hierarchy, the military leader recognizes the value of the method of delivery of orders (Mann, 2000). This certainly stems from the respect for human dignity. The quality of performance is better when providing orders in a good atmosphere (Mann, 2000). A military leader must develop trust between him and the troops; the leader must possess an adequate degree of self-confidence (Mann, 2000). The…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Military Ethics

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages

    War has always been, and will always be, a necessary action perpetrated by the human race. There are many different reasons for war: rage, passion, greed, defense, and religion to name a few. When differences cannot be solved or compromised through mediation with an opposing party and anger burns with a fiery passion, war is the last remaining option. Obviously, the purpose of any war is to win. How are wars won? Perhaps if we were to ask a member of the Defense Department during the early stages of the war in Iraq, his answer might be, “To win this war we must force the enemy into submission by means of ethical warfare.” If we were to ask a marine in the Second World War what he was told by his commanding officer he would reply, “To close with the enemy and destroy him.” (Fussell, 763).…

    • 1089 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This paper on Leadership will compare the primary differences and characteristics between the tactical leader and the organizational leader. I will provide you with the basics for development, characteristics, and the fundamentals that help guide and influence each leader’s style and how they influence Soldiers to follow them. Leaders at all levels demonstrate their values, knowledge, skills, and abilities in many different means and methods in order to get the mission done. Leaders must set the example, continually teach, and mentor their subordinates by displaying a strong moral character in order to meet the challenges that ensure a safe and secure nation. The Oath that any potential leader takes is to have “strong intellect, physical presence, professional competence, high moral character, and serve as a role model.” (Field Manuel, 6-22, Army Leadership, 2006, p.viii).…

    • 1257 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Clausewitz's Theory Of War

    • 1853 Words
    • 8 Pages

    While many scholars attempted to theorize war in human history, only few were credited for constructing consistent theories on which people could base and further their understanding of war and warfare. Those include Greek Thucydides, Chinese Sun Tzu, and Indian Kautilya all three from 3-4th century BC; Prussian Carl von Clausewitz and Swiss Antoine-Henry Jomini both from 19th century. All of those prominent theorist had a lot to offer and therefore had great influence on our thinking in war, warfare, and strategy. However, Clausewitz’s theory offers more insight if one carefully and purposely studied the “paradoxical trinity” identified in his…

    • 1853 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Soldiers Thoughts

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Zachary Scott-Singley wrote an essay called “A Soldiers Thoughts”. His essay was based on his inner thoughts and questions, how he should and shouldn’t feel about war. Is war right or wrong? Are these people truly the enemy? What would you do to stay alive? I feel war leaves these questions open to discussion and defiantly can change based on the person and the involvement; but the work of war can change a person’s values and morals.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Army Professionalism

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages

    I expect Soldiers to be counseled when an event or circumstance requires immediate action. To ensure proper administrative responsibilities, we will maintain hard copies and digital copies of all counselings. I expect you to ensure the NCOs are maintaining a proper counseling schedule.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    powerpoint

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Soldiers of the Army are trusted with the responsibility to keep citizens of the nation safe, “against all enemies foreign and domestic.” Individuals make the decision to become Soldiers who are prepared to become experts of their craft and live the Army code of ethicsi. This great responsibility is not taken for granted and instilled in every Soldier immediately. In this profession having the support of the American public is crucialii. Soldiers must stay relevant to the public and be cognizant not to create a divide between themselves and the American people.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics