The lexicon of national security and defense analysis has been strained lately, struggling to describe the emerging and ambiguous complex threats we face, most of which fall well short of conventional war. 4Īs should be expected in any attempt to describe something as complex as war, there is much debate over characterizations and definitions. strategy and doctrine, the armed services are likely to remain in a perpetual state of costly and reactive adaptation when called upon to address various threats. 3 Without explicit recognition of diverse conflict types in U.S.
strategic performance in the past, and will continue to do so until we grasp the full range of conflict types. 2 The tendency to ignore certain types of threats or forms of conflict has impeded U.S. forces to succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Joint Chiefs of Staff that observed how a “big war” paradigm clouded our understanding and delayed the adaptation required for U.S. This was acknowledged in a major 2012 lessons learned project produced by the U.S. The first step is recognizing the diversity of potential conflicts and understanding the relative risks of each.Īmerican strategic culture is sometimes criticized for its emphasis on conventional, interstate war. national security establishment must devote greater attention to the range of challenges and adversaries it faces. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford has admitted “We’re already behind in adapting to the changed character of war today in so many ways.” 1 The U.S. Partially as a result of this conceptual challenge, we are falling behind in our readiness for the future. security community lacks this taxonomy, despite its engagement in a spate of diverse conflicts around the globe from the South China Sea, to Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and beyond. However, this presupposes a general acceptance of a well-understood taxonomy describing the elements that constitute the “continuum of conflict.” The U.S.
The Joint Force, and the national security community as a whole, must be ready and able to respond to numerous challenges across the full spectrum of conflict including complex operations during peacetime and war.
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