Resurrecting Limited War Theory

<p>Limited war and its emphasis on the deliberate limitation of the objectives sought in a conflict differs sharply with its counterpart total war which demands unlimited objectives. The distinction between these two forms of war can be traced through notable military theorists throughout history including Carl von Clausewitz and Sir Julian Corbett. The thread common among all the theorists is the understanding that it is the limitation of the objectives or ends rather than the limitation of the means applied in waging war that determines the limited nature of a conflict. United States limited wars in Korea and the Vietnam as well as conflicts involving other nations to include China Israel reveal common challenges and provide lessons for the implementation of limited war strategies. These include the requirement for clearly articulated political objectives the communication of those limited objectives to one's adversary and the need for force structuring to balance limited war and total war capabilities. Limited war is not the only way but a way to wage modern war. The intent for this paper is to resurrect or re-introduce the theory of limited war into discourse concerning United States security policy and military planning at the political and strategic levels. This is necessary not only because of the potential for the United States to be directly involved but also for the likelihood that conflict between other nations may require the United States to act indirectly with an appreciation of the principles and guidelines for limited war.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>