My Class in US Army War College - 2002

    LESSON 31:RESPOND
    Tue 10 October 2001 (0830-1130)
    Col Larry M. Forster 245-3292
    Col John F. Troxell 245-3293

    1. Introduction.
         a. In this lesson, we will focus on the "respond" element of U.S. defense strategy. Since shaping efforts may not eliminate all threats to U.S. security and crises with which we must contend, the U.S. military must be able to effectively respond at home and abroad to the full spectrum of threats. This element of the U.S. defense strategy stresses a required capability for the military to conduct operations across the spectrum from Smaller Scale Contingencies (SSCs) to Major Theater War (MTW) in order to secure and promote U.S. interests.
         b. SSC operations encompass the full range of military operations short of major theater warfare, including peacekeeping operations, enforcing embargoes and no-fly zones, evacuating U.S. citizens, providing humanitarian assistance, and engaging in information operations. These operations put a premium on the ability of the U.S. military to work closely and effectively with other United States Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, regional and international security organizations, and coalition partners. SSCs generally have limited missions, restrictive rules of engagement, and last longer than expected. The effective conduct of these operations, however, respond to specific threat to U.S. interests, prevent the escalation of crises, and, in turn, strengthen the ability of the U.S. military to continue to shape the geostrategic environment.
         c. Our study of SSCs will focus on peace operations and the strategic options available to address force requirements associated with these operations as the most numerous and complex SSCs in which the U.S. has been involved. Specifically, we will examine the utility, emerging doctrine, and prospects for the future of peace operations and consider various options to meet the increasing demand on force structure and resources associated with SSCs.
         d. Fighting and winning major theater wars is the ultimate test of our Armed Forces, and our examination of MTWs will occupy the second portion of this lesson. We will begin an examination with a review of the asymmetric aspects of the new security environment. The U.S. must be able to exploit its asymmetric advantages and mitigate asymmetric threats aimed at our critical vulnerabilities.
         e. One of the most critical tasks for any defense strategy is to set the criteria for sizing the force. For the past eight years, the primary criterion for sizing U.S. conventional forces has been two nearly simultaneous MTWs. We will consider alternative rationales to replace the 2-MTW standard.
         f. We will conclude our examination of the respond element by considering the implications of the use of force in support of a global U.S. grand strategy.

    2. Learning Objectives.
         a. Understand the relationship and interaction between the "respond" and "shape" elements of the U.S. defense strategy.
         b. Examine the nature and requirements of peacekeeping operations and the challenges in conducting these operations in the post-Cold War era.
         c. Comprehend the nature of the new strategic environment and the threats and opportunities associated with asymmetric operations.
         d. Determine appropriate criteria and considerations for the commitment of U.S. forces in response to threats to the national interest.
         e. Consider the kind of wars the U.S. military should be prepared to fight and win and the appropriate criteria for sizing the force.

    3. Student Requirements.

    a. Tasks. None.

    b. Required Readings.
         (1) U.S. Army War College, Department of National Security and Strategy. Readings in War, National Security Policy, and Strategy. Carlisle Barracks: 2001. Vol. IV: (Student Issue)
              (a) "Peace Operations: An Update," by Larry Forster.
              (b) "Sizing the Force for the 21st Century," by John F. Troxell.
              (c) "The Use of Force: The Powell and Clinton Doctrines," by David Jablonsky.
              (d) Owen Cote, Jr., "The New Access-Constrained Security Environment," Assuring Access and Projecting Power: The Navy in the New Security Environment, Cambridge, MA: MIT Security Studies Program, pp. 9-19 and 73.

         (2) Michele A. Flournoy, ed. QDR 2001: Strategy-driven Choices for America's Security, Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press, 2001. "Peacetime Operations: Reducing Friction," by John Spinelli, Ch. 10, pp. 263-292. (Student Issue)

    c. Suggested Readings.
         (1) Dorff, Robert H. "The Future of Peace Support Operations." Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 1998): 160-178. (Reserve Reading Shelf)
         (2) Hehir, J. Bryan. "Kosovo: A War of Values and the Values of War." America, May 15, 1999.
         (3) Luttwak, Edward N. "Give War a Chance." Foreign Affairs, Vol. 78, No. 4 (July/August 1999): 36-44. (Reserve Reading Shelf)
         (4) Metz, Steven and Douglas V. Johnson II Asymmetry and U.S. Military Strategy: Definition, Background, and Strategic Concepts, (Strategic Studies Institute, Carlisle, PA, January 2001). (Reserve Reading Shelf)
         (5) McKenzie, Kenneth F., Jr. The Revenge of the Melians: Asymmetric Threats and the Next QDR, (National Defense University, Washington, D.C., McNair Paper 62, 2000.) (Reserve Reading Shelf)
         (6) Metz, Steven, Revising the Two MTW Force Shaping Paradigm, (Strategic Studies Institute, Carlisle, PA, April 2001). (Reserve Reading Shelf)
         (7) Bacevich, Andrew J. "Policing Utopia: The Military Imperatives of Globalization," National Interest, Summer 1999, No. 56, pp. 5-13. (Reserve Reading Shelf)

    4. Points to Consider.
         a. What are the moral, legal, and practical factors to consider before advising to participate in a SSC?
         b. How is peace operation doctrine evolving, and what are the primary distinctions between peacekeeping and peace enforcement?
         c. What are the appropriate uses of the U.S. military short of major war? How much and what kind of involvement should the U.S. military have in SSCs? Discuss options to address the various "points of friction" generated by SSCs.
         d. According to Owen Cote, what are the implications of the near-term security environment on U.S. defense strategy? Do you agree or disagree with his assessment?
         e. What is the essence of a successful asymmetric strategy? Do U.S. vulnerabilities to asymmetries outweigh our advantages to implement asymmetric strategies?
         f. What kind of wars should the U.S. military be prepared to deter and, if necessary, fight and win over the next 10-20 years?
         g. What roles should we expect allies and coalition partners to play across the spectrum of operations? What challenges do multinational operations add to the employment of U.S. forces?
         h. What strategy-based criteria should be used to size the force? What should the associated declaratory policy be? 1