In the profession of arms, a required reading is “On War” by Prussian Gen. Carl Von Clausewitz. Though first published in 1832, this seminal work of warfare remains valid as it defines and examines the interactions of military force, political decisions and a society’s “emotional state” to sustain war.
According to Clausewitz, ignoring any one of these — i.e. a government starting a war without clear objectives and a defined end state, a citizenry confused or not behind the decision to go to war, or a leader ignoring political reality — the war will inevitably fail. Clausewitz compared this dynamic to a “pendulum,” as the war’s character constantly shifts between these facets. Furthermore, Clausewitz implored, “No one starts a war — or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so — without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve.”
Regardless of rank or branch, service members are principally trained in readiness to deploy, to fight and to win. When the president says it’s a go, you go. You don’t choose your war. As a 20-year veteran who served in the first Gulf War, I pray my brothers- and sisters-in-arms a safe passage. As to the administration that initiated this “excursion,” it may not end well and beware the “fog of war.”
