Since the aim of strategy is to link ends, ways, and means, the aim of strategic leadership is to determine the ends, choose the best ways, and apply the most effective means. In the field of military theory, the operational level of war also called the operational art, as derived from russian. May 25, 2007 the primary nature of any strategy, whether it is military campaign, business, marketing or games, is the relationship between ends, ways, and means. Army war college professor celestino perez demonstrates, national decisions to employ the military are frequently and hotly debated.
Apr 17, 2014 modern strategic thinking is characterised by the ends, ways, means relationship and the concept of the way as shortest possible direct connection between ends and means. Military strategy is the direction and use of force for the purposes of policy as decided by politics. List of military strategies and concepts wikipedia. Thucydides history is conventionally divided into eight books. Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. Nov 03, 2014 all too often, it seems that in many western professional military education institutions strategy and strategy formation have been largely reduced to a simple formula of ends, ways, and means. Strategy equals ends objectives toward which one strives plus ways courses of action plus means instruments by which some end can be achieved. In sum, it is difficult to apply the ends, ways, and means paradigm of strategy to information age security.
In essence, this becomes an examination of courses of action designed to achieve the military objective. Given our current, hardedged calculus of ends, ways, means, and risk, we need more clarity than that. The national security strategy is not a strategy foreign. Unlike conventional ways, cyberwar defies the military principle of mass. Grand strategy can be understood simply as the use of power to secure the state. Strategic uncertainty, the third offset, and us grand strategy by ionut c. Having in the foregoing chapter ascertained the complicated and variable nature of war, we shall now occupy ourselves in examining into the influence which this nature has upon the end and means in war. Lykkes seminal formulation of military strategy, defining military.
Ends are the objectives or desired outcomes of a given strategy. The central statement that strategy is a pervasive and enduring aspect of human history describes the theory, practice, and predictions surrounding the study of strategy posited by colin gray in his 2015 book, the future of strategy. The document, an attempt to turn trumps america first instincts into a foreign policy doctrine, had failed to align ambitious ends with ways and means. Encirclement both a strategy and tactic designed to isolate and surround enemy forces. He also drew on the wellknown british military theorist, b. Military strategy is often divided into four components. Military challenges from rivals like russia and china are clearly a priority for naval posture and force design given the navy and marine corps we have today and are planning for the future.
Jul 24, 2018 theory of strategy makes the radical argument that the familiar structure of strategy s general theory political ends, strategic ways, military means and assumptions holds as sound for security at all times and in all places, of human necessity. As such, it is in the public domain, and under the provisions of title 17, united states code, section 105, it may not be. Its time to end the tyranny of ends, ways, and means modern. Understanding military strategy and the four levels. Army war college strategy model of ends, ways, and means is expounded on and advocated as a methodology for articulating strategies. Is military strategy, as taught in professional military education, too closely tied to the endswaysmeans paradigm. For example, the ends, ways, and means construct is used at the national. The purpose of this report is to examine russian military strategy and how it was shaped by the 2008 russiageorgia war in order to understand moscows military objectives in the current conflict in ukraine and how it executes cyber, psychological, and so called hybrid warfare against western s tates. In the case of a nms, the equation is rewritten to reflect the national level of military strategy. It is convenient and concise, short enough to fit cleanly onto a powerpoint slide and clear enough to be expressed as an actual mathematical equation. Pdf military strategy revisited a critique of the lykke formulation. Antulio echevarria ii of the us army war college talks us through key books, both old and new, on military strategy. A military history of the united states from 1607 to 2012, 3rd edition by allan r. It is the link between military means and political ends, the scheme for how to make one produce the other.
After four decades of relative stability in national security strategy, american behavior has been erratic in search of a new and sustainable role on the world stage. The concept of ends, ways, and means provides one logical framework. The crisis of american military primacy and the search for strategic solvency by hal brands and eric edelman. Sep 24, 20 similar to developing a coherent national strategy, there are sequential steps we should take in crafting our unit leader development programs. Art lykke and the development of the ends, ways, means model nsi. Definitions of strategy saass comps prep wiki fandom. Us military practice from the revolution to afghanistan by antulio j. Liddell hart also defined strategy as the art of distributing and applying military means to fulfill the ends of policy. This book is a useful start point for any student of strategy, strategic history, and for those who seek to understand its foundation, formulation, and fallibility. Mar 15, 20 on march 19, it will have been 10 years since the united states invaded iraq. One subject area embroiled in this debate is military strategy, where there are demonstrable gaps in knowledge and perspective between the military and academic communities.
The nms report describes the relationship of those objectives. Such neglect is a structural issue, inherent to the u. Dec 19, 2017 as soon as it was released on december 18, u. Jan 17, 2018 as one article in a russian military journal puts it, the indirect action strategy against western adversaries will draw on, above all, a great variety of forms and methods of nonmilitary techniques and nonmilitary measures, including information warfare to neutralise adversary actions without resorting to weapons. Unlike traditional means, knowledge is relatively cheap and easy to balance with ends and ways. Modern strategic thinking is characterised by the ends, ways, means relationship and the concept of the way as shortest possible direct connection between ends and means. The combination of decreasing defense spending and rapid increases in the cost of new weapons suggests that a strategy for conflict with china should assume limited. Each of the following chapters highlights a major concept used in our strategy formulatio n model. Generally, strategy is about developing a goal, setting out a plan, and then allocating needed resources. Ends, ways, and means this is the final installment of a series on leader development. It is an analysis model used by the military and civilian national security community at the strategic level. It focuses on the development of nationallevel military strategy and how the military instrument of power is used, in combination with the other instruments of national power, in pursuit of policy objectives. Foreign policy and the rand corporation teamed up to bring together many of the key players who launched, fought. And its primary objectives are control and paralysis.
With our general concept of strategy as a guidestrategy equals ends plus ways plus meanswe can develop an approach to military strategy. Additionally, i expose the principles of war as a myth, instead. May 07, 2018 military strategy revisited a critique of the lykke formulation, the author of the article explores current understanding of ends, ways, means, and risk to create a new formulation for developing a strategy toward a political end state. Us army war college guide to strategy commonwealth institute. Parameters winter 20162017 open pdf 3 mb parameters published by the u. With our general concept of strategy as a guidestrategy equals ends plus ways plus means we can develop an approach to military strategy. On march 19, it will have been 10 years since the united states invaded iraq. Ways are concerned with the various methods of applying military force. Foreign policy and the rand corporation teamed up to bring together many of. Taylors published books and speeches also do not show that he. It discusses the essential elements of any strategy.
Of these three items, the one that seems to be the most problematic is determining the goal, or end. Strategic and operational concepts are the ways of the strategy and describe how the armed forces conduct military operations to accomplish the specified military objectives. Ends are defined as the strategic outcomes or endstates desired. Through the tet offensive in 1968, some have argued that the united states did not have a firm strategy in vietnam. If strategy is nothing else than the direct way of linking the political purpose with the means, understood as combat, this understandings results in battle. Some basic concepts and approaches in the study of international. Military strategy is the practice of reducing an adversarys physical capacity and willingness to fight, and continuing to do so until ones aim is achieved. Ways are defined as the methods, tactics, and procedures, practices, and strategies to achieve the ends. The nms report describes the relationship of those objectives to the strategic environment, regional, and international threats.
Huntingtons book became the standard in the field, and it remains the starting point for. In other words, strategy is about ensuring that the appropriate means were available to achieve the ends or goals with the ways. Similar to developing a coherent national strategy, there are sequential steps we should take in crafting our unit leader development programs. The process is politicized, there is no governmentwide unity of effort, and there is no buyin or commitment across the governments interagency. Balancing what is described in the following chapters as ends, ways, an d meansremains at the core of the army war colleges approach to national security and military strategy and strategy formulation. This joint doctrine note jdn describes national strategy, defense strategy, and military strategy. All too often, it seems that in many western professional military education institutions strategy and strategy formation have been largely reduced to a simple formula of ends, ways, and means. President donald trumps first national security strategy nss met with an expected wave of criticism. Clausewitzs concept of strategy balancing purpose, aims. Sadly, the ends, ways, and means never seem to be in balance. Jul 24, 2017 lykke was not the first or only theorist to put forth an ends, ways, means way of looking at strategy. He synthesized the four existing specific theories of strategy into one general theory that is as valid today as when it was first created.
Belligerent rhetoric in north koreas propaganda by mason richey. Together, strategy and tactics bridge the gap between ends and means figure 1. Oct 18, 2018 the definition of strategy offered by gray in this work then is this. Pointers for researching each of these programs are included, as well. Strategy is evervarying in its character, but not in its nature, which is unchanging.
What is my desired endstate for the officers or ncos i. Ends, ways and means clausewitz was clear about the connection between ends, ways, and means describing them as a paradoxical trinity. Here, ends is the objective, such as global conquest, maximising market share, neutralising a crisis, etc. It takes place in wartime and peacetime and may involve using force, directly or indirectly, as a threat. However, where has this strategic formula of ends, ways, means come from. Theory of strategy makes the radical argument that the familiar structure of strategys general theory political ends, strategic ways, military means and assumptions holds as sound for security at all times and in all places, of human necessity. In business, as in the military, strategy bridges the gap between policy and tactics. Military strategy revisited a critique of the lykke formulation. A national military strategy is usually influenced by civil political and economic decisions. Wylie invented the intellectual framework and terminology with which to understand strategy as a means of control.
Having in the foregoing chapter ascertained the complicated and variable nature of war, we shall now occupy ourselves in examining into the influence which this nature has upon the end and means in war if we ask first of all for the aim upon which the whole war is to be directed, in order that it may be the right means for the attainment of the. National military strategy united states wikipedia. These courses of action are termed military strategic concepts. Analyzing the russian way of war modern war institute. Officer 2020 strategy nco 2020 provides vision and guidance on ends, ways, and means for developing ncos that exercise mission command while planning, preparing, executing, and assessing unified land operations to meet the challenges of the 21 st century and preserve the combat readiness of our force. The best books on military strategy five books expert. Ends, ways and means in vietnam the leavenworth way of war. The wonderful world of classification march 20, 2020. After describing the security environment in which military forces will operate, the nms report must specify the ends, ways, and means of the strategy. Us national military objectives are the ends, describing what the armed forces are expected to accomplish. Means refers to the military resources manpower, materiel, money, forces, logistics and so forth required to accomplish the mission. Ends, ways, means, risk strategy is much like a three legged stool of ends, ways, means balanced on a plane of varying degree of risk. Oct 31, 2007 ends, ways, means and cog analysis will greatly enhance military planning. Mar 21, 2018 this caught my eye so i did a bit of searching.
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