WarintheModernWorld

WiMWBRIEFING:USstrategicculture

USstrategicculturemaybesaidtocontainthreecoreaspectsthatinformUSmilitary
practice:technologicalfetishism,casualtyaversionandlegalpragmatism.

Technocentricwarfare
TechnologyhascertainlyplayedacentralroleinhowtheUnitedStateshasfoughtwarsinthe
20thcentury,especiallyinthestrategicbombingcampaignsofWWII,KoreaandVietnam.
Historically,therehasbeenvariationinenthusiasmfornewtechnologywithintheUSmilitary,
withtheUSAirForcebeingthemosttechnofriendlyandUSArmybeingthemost
technophobic.Afterall,theUSAirforceisaservicepredicatedonanewmilitarytechnology
theaeroplaneintheearly20thcentury.Andtoalesserextent,theNavy(andMarines)
dependedontechnologytostayafloat(andlatertoroamaboveandbelowtheseas).By
contrast,theArmyhastraditionallyreliedmuchmoreonbasicmanpowertowagewar.But
theintroductioninthe1970sofelectronicsintolandbasedweaponsplatformschangedall
this.Newtechnologywasalsocrucialtothelogisticalstructurescreatedtosupportand
servicethenewbattlefieldsystems.Today,allfourservices(includingtheArmy)havekeenly
embracedtheMilitaryTransformationagenda,withitsthehightechvisionoffuturewarfare.

Casualtyaversion
MuchhasbeenmadeinrecentyearsofthesecondaspectofUSstrategicculture,casualty
aversion.ThisaversionisrootedintheVietnamWar,whenasteadystreamofreturningwar
deadeventuallyerodedUSdomesticsupportforthewarinthemidtolate1960s.Arguably,
theUSpublicistodaymoretolerantofcasualtiesthanisappreciatedbythepoliticaland
militaryleadership.ThefamouscollapseofUSoperationsinSomaliainlate1993wascaused
notbecausepublicsupportforthemissioncollapsedwhen18troopswerekilled,butbecause
thepoliticianspulledtheplugonthemissioninanticipationofanadversepublicreaction.Still,
casualtyaversionisalltooevidentinUSstrategicculture,fromtheemphasisonFull
DimensionalProtectioninjointmilitarydoctrinetothepoliticalrefusaltodeployUSground
troopsinriskyhumanitarianinterventions(asinRwandain1994andKosovoin1999).The
IraqWariscurrentlytestingthelimitsofpubliccasualtytolerance,withover2,000UStroops
killedafteralmostthreeyearsoffighting.

Legalpragmatism
ThefinalaspectofUSstrategiccultureisapragmaticapproachtointernationallaw.Wecan
seethisinhowtheBushadministrationhassoughttoexpandtheconceptofanticipatoryself
defencetoincludepreventiveuseofforce.Inpracticalterms,preventiveuseofforceagainst
anemergingthreatbordersonaggressionand,assuch,isplainlyprohibitedunder
internationallaw.ThustheBushDoctrineofpreemptive/preventiveuseofforceseeksto
adjustlegalrulestotherealityofAmericanpower,andtorereadlawinapragmaticfashion
tomakeitfitthepresentday.Wecanseeasimilarpragmaticapproachtointernationallawat
themilitaryoperationallevel.USmilitaryofficersarebeginningtoarguethattheabsolute
legalprohibitionagainstattackingciviliantargetsisnolongerrelevantinthecontextofmuch
greatstrikeprecision(whichreducestheriskofcollateraldamage),themovetoeffectsbased
operations(whichreducesdamagetocivilianstructures)andtheimperativeforcounter
leadershiptargeting(whichmayshortencampaignsandsavelivesinthelongrun).