and partners , and address threats that are truly global .” 2 Under these guiding principles , the U . S . military ’ s role is to “ ensure , by timely and effective military action , the security of the United States and areas vital to its interest .” 3 This is a tall order .
One of the military ’ s key enabling mechanisms to carrying out its role is deliberate war planning , a function intended to “ enable understanding and facilitate the development of options to effectively meet the complex challenges facing joint forces throughout the world .” 4 This intellectually resource-intensive mechanism seems as though it would naturally contribute strategic value . However , the utility derived from deliberate war planning has been widely debated . Some contend that military doctrine and education are ill suited to deal with unfamiliar problems or to satisfy civilian policy-makers ’ needs . 5 Others criticize the common tendency to focus on point scenarios without considering branches , sequels , or the need for rapid adaptation . 6 Still others argue that the military services ’ cultural preferences of planning for future interstate conventional wars impedes effective planning for the more likely unconventional scenarios that the United States has engaged in much more often , a tendency
Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma ( standing left ) meets Lt . Gen . Tim Evans , commander , Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( seated fifth from left ), and other members of the exercise staff during the Latvia Cabinet of Ministers Exercise Kristaps 2015 on 10 November 2015 at Lielvārde Airbase , Lielvārde , Latvia . The exercise combined the majority of ministers , the president , and military leadership in a national-level simulated emergency cabinet session to discuss crisis response plans . ( Photo by WO 2 Dan Harmer , GBR Army / NATO )
reinforced by the need to justify high-end conventional military modernization programs . 7
Beyond the contemporary debate , the utility of deliberate war plans to the past one hundred years of U . S . combat performance is not encouraging . In most of the cases that necessitated U . S . involvement in wars , the deliberate war plans that were available at the time of need were not relevant . For example , following the 11 September 2001 attacks , the U . S . national leadership directed the military to initiate a campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan and other locations . At that point , the military had a sizable inventory of war plans , but none of them dealt with this specific need . This lack of relevant war plans also existed when the United States entered the First World War , the
26 January-February 2017
MILITARY REVIEW