National Principles of War: Guiding National Power to Victory - Traditional American Way of War, Transforming to Meet the Threat of 4th Generation War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Diplomacy

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The Principles of War have long served as the foundation for warfighting doctrine, the how-to checklist for waging war. The current set of principles, however, was developed by military men for military application and does not meet the intent of a guide to war for the diplomatic, informational, and economic elements of national power. Relevant Principles of War must be applicable to every element of national power and encourage unified and coordinated action across and between diplomacy, economic policy, military action, and national information. The current set of principles has endured for so long because they support the traditional American Way of War, a way of war that favors the tactical or operational military objective over the strategic. As a nation, we can no longer afford to view war as solely a military action. The changing nature of the threat and the growing number of complex contingency operations we face requires a holistic view of war that includes every component of national power (collectively referred to as DIME - Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic). National Principles of War must serve as a warfighting guide not just the military but also to the other elements of the United States national power. Using Operation Iraqi Freedom as a case study, this paper examines the deficiencies of the current Principles of War, provides a recommendation for the National Principles of War, and looks at how the National Principles of War applies to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION * CHAPTER 2 - ANALYSIS * The Evolution of the Principles of War * The Traditional American Way of War and the Impact on the Principles of War * The Changing Face of Conflict * Transforming to Meet the Threat of 4th Generation War * Defining the New American Way of War * CHAPTER 3 - RECOMMENDATION * The National Principles of War * The National Principles of War and Operation Iraqi Freedom * From National Principles of War to Principles of Operation * CHAPTER 4 - CONCLUSION