Breaking: Strategy and a brief class on what it means for today’s global strategic environment.

The main reason I offer this short missive below is because in government versus our military, there is a tendency not to consider strategy when it comes to the application of physical force to achieve political ends. We tend to just execute without a clearly defined set of political outcomes. This occurs regardless of which political party is in control of our government. It is well worth considering this definition as a means to an end, especially with the current global environment that America faces.

Without that “finger tip feel” of the operational environment, America faces an uncertain outcome in many of our current global engagements.

So what exactly is Strategy?

Strategy is a system of makeshifts, improvisations, or ad hoc adjustments. It is more than a science, it is the application of science to practical affairs; it is carrying through an originally conceived plan under a constantly shifting set of circumstances. It is the ability to adjust with foresight and resource awareness given a rapidly changing environment.

Strategy is also the application of common sense in the work of leading to feasible, acceptable, and suitable outcomes.

Strategy’s teachings hardly go beyond the first requirement of common sense (something I personally value in leaders); in fact, its value lies entirely in the concrete application of common sense.

It is a matter of understanding correctly at every moment a constantly changing situation, and then doing the simplest and most natural thing with energy and determination.

This is what makes war an art, an art that is served by many sciences. Like every art, war cannot be learned rationally, but only by experience.

In war, as in art, there can be no set standards nor can a code of set rules take the place of brains.

When a leader or nation lacks strategy, subordinate organizations can quickly slip into reactive chaos. Without a clear long-term destination, work turns into a series of random fire drills.

What Happens Without a Strategy?

Without covering the details I’ll describe categories of actions that affect the application of proper strategy:

1. Constantly Shifting Priorities.

2. Appearance of a Fire-Drill Culture.

3. Burnout and Turnover (ie., Exhaustion).

4. Decision Bottlenecks (in other words, an upward flow of decision making because no one knows what the leader wants to achieve).

5. Tactical Tunnel Vision (not seeing the forest through the trees).

So what?

Leaders must reflect on the stated goals and objectives and intended end state (and do so constantly). A flexible and creative mind is required at the most senior levels simply due to the changing nature of warfare. This is one of the highest priorities of leaders engaged in warfare (political leaders and otherwise).

Like it or not, America faces serious adversaries and many uncertainties and we must constantly adjust our nation’s security strategy based on the circumstances of the ever changing global security environment.

Given the speed of information, advancements in technologies, and innovative applications of both the art and science of warfare, our leaders must be highly adaptive and creative, because adversaries now and in the future most certainly will be.

And never, ever forget, the enemy has a vote and they will exercise it, constantly.

God Bless America 🙏🏼🇺🇸