1. Making Strategy

2. “War is an extension of politics by other means.”
- Carl von Clausewitz

3. Overview Definitions Doctrine National Objectives Grand Strategy
Military Strategy
Operational Strategy
Battlefield Strategy
Influences on the Strategy Process

4. Definitions
Policy: Guidance that is directive or instructive stating what is to be accomplished
Objectives and rules of engagement
Mutable and often changes

5. Definitions
Strategy: How operations should be conducted to accomplish national policy objectives.
The continuous process of matching ends, ways, and means to accomplish desired goals within acceptable levels of risk.
Originates in policy and addresses broad objectives, along with the designs and plans for achieving them.

6. Definitions
Doctrine: Fundamental principles by which the military forces or elements thereof guide their actions in support of national objectives.
Authoritative but requires judgment in application.
Presents considerations on how to accomplish military goals and objectives.
A storehouse of analyzed experience and wisdom

7. Doctrine Common frame of reference
Shapes how AF organizes, trains, equips, and sustains
Prepares us for future uncertainties
Used with judgment
Political, economic, or social situation may dictate departure from doctrine

8. National Objectives
The fundamental aims, goals, or purposes of a nation toward which a policy is directed, and efforts & resources are applied
Three Levels of Interest
Vital
Major
Peripheral

9. National Objectives
Vital Interests: Broad, overriding importance to the survival, safety, and vitality of our nation
State is not willing to compromise on
State is generally willing to go to war to protect

10. National Objectives Major interests: Affect our national well-being
May use force but not normally necessary
Peacekeeping operations
Reconnaissance missions

11. National Objectives
Peripheral Interests—Our nation may act because our values demand it
Response to disasters
Human rights violations
Environmental protection

12. National Objectives Interests are often intertwined Vietnam? Kosovo?
Iraq?
Afghanistan?

13. National Objectives
Grand Strategy

14. Grand Strategy
Development & use of ALL national power instruments and the coordination of these instruments
Diplomatic
Information
Military
Economic

15. Grand Strategy Players
President
Congress
National Media
Interest groups/public opinion

16. National Objectives Grand Strategy 3. Military Strategy
Political Strategy
3. Military Strategy
Economic Strategy

17. National Military Strategy
Prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS)
Consistent with the most recent:
NSS
The most recent QDR
With “any other national security or defense strategic guidance issued by the President or the Secretary of Defense.”

18. US Military Strategy Process
POTUS
National Security Strategy (NSS)
Addresses US interest, goals, and objectives
SecDef
National Defense Strategy (NDS)
Articulates the “ends” DoD pursues for NSS
CJCS
National Military Strategy (NMS)
The military “means” for national objectives
DoD conducts Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)

19. National Military Strategy
Consist of four distinct elements:
Force Employment
Where would forces be employed?
Against whom would forces be employed?
Force Development
What needs to be done?
Where it needs to be done?
How it needs to be done?

20. National Military Strategy
Force Deployment
Time
Vulnerability
Flexibility
Coordination of Actions
Synchronizing force employment, development, and deployment to defeat the most pressing emerging threats

21. National Objectives Grand Strategy Political Strategy
3. Military Strategy
4. Operational Strategy
Economic Strategy

22. Operational Strategy
The art and science of planning, orchestrating, and directing military campaigns within a theater of operations to achieve national security objectives

23. Operational Strategy What does it do? Levels of operational strategy
Links the national level concerns of military strategy with battlefield concerns of tactics
Levels of operational strategy
Combined campaigns
Joint campaigns
Component campaigns

24. Operational Strategy
Orchestration of all military efforts in the theater
Goal is to win the theater war
Achieve the military objective
Military objective contributes to the achievement of a political objective (remember the WAR lesson?)

25. 5. Battlefield Strategy (Tactics)
National Objectives
Grand Strategy
Political Strategy
3. Military Strategy
4. Operational Strategy
5. Battlefield Strategy (Tactics)
Economic Strategy

26. Battlefield Strategy (Tactics)
The art and science of employing forces on the battlefield to achieve national security objectives

27. Battlefield Strategy Dynamic level of operations
Difficult to talk about in general terms
Nuclear war
Operations other than war
Conventional war
Space war
Information war
Urban warfare
Desert war
The list goes on......

28. National Objectives Grand Strategy Political Strategy
Threats
Domestic politics
Physical environment
Economics
Technology
Influences on Process
Political Strategy
3. Military Strategy
4. Operational Strategy
5. Battlefield Strategy (Tactics)
Economic Strategy
Leadership
Culture/society
International politics
Geography
Doctrine
Fog, friction, chance
Influences on Process

29. Points to Remember… National objectives drive the process
Protect/achieve vital national interests
Grand Strategy incorporates and/or coordinates all the instruments of national power…not just military
Military Strategy supports national objectives
Must support higher (grand) strategy
Operational and Battlefield Strategy must be flexible
Several influences on the strategy process

30. Summary Definitions Doctrine National Objectives Grand Strategy
Military Strategy
Operational Strategy
Battlefield Strategy
Influences on the Strategy Process

31. “If the world is to have ONE superpower, thank God it is the United States of America.”
- Gen Khalid, Saudi Arabia

32. QUESTIONS?