Thursday
4 May 2000
0830-1130 (LS)
Since all information and assumptions are open to doubt, and with chance at work everywhere, the commander continually finds that things are not as he expected. This is bound to influence his plans, or at least the assumptions underlying them.... If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and, second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.
Carl von Clausewitz
The essence of strategy is the interplay, which springs from the clash between two opposing wills.... It is the art of the dialectic of two opposing wills using force to resolve their dispute.
General Andre Beaufre
The strategic practitioner develops a deep understanding of all levels of war and strategy and their interrelationships, develops and executes strategic plans...employs force and other dimensions of military power, and unifies military and nonmilitary activities through command and peer leadership skills.
LTG Richard A. Chilcoat, USA
Circumstances vary so enormously in war, and are so indefinable, that a vast array of factors has to be appreciated--mostly in the light of probabilities alone. The man responsible for evaluating the whole must bring to his task the quality of intuition that perceives the truth at every point. Otherwise,a chaos of opinions and considerations would arise and fatally entangle judgment.
Carl von Clausewitz
It is, no doubt, a good thing to conquer on the field of battle, but it takes greater wisdom and greater skill to make use of the victory.
Polybius, Histories, 125 B.C.
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Proverbs 29:18
Purpose
The purpose of this part is to synthesize all learning in 5602 and 5605; comprehend the relationship of military strategy to national security strategy; and comprehend the relationship of these disciplines to military leadership at the theater and national levels.
Learning Objectives
1. Comprehend the relationships among military theory, the military strategic art, national security strategy, and senior military leadership in the United States.
2. Synthesize a personal concept of military strategic leadership appropriate to your remaining years of public service.
Discussion
The concluding topic of our study of military strategy addresses leadership at the strategic level. As a graduate of the National War College, from here on, you will carry out significant responsibilities as a senior officer of the Armed Forces or the national government here or in your own country. Every position to which you will be assigned will require leadership on your part, that is, the vision to determine the best course of action; the ability to motivate and inspire others to pursue that course; and the courage and tenacity to overcome the frictions along the way.
The first requirement, the ability to discern the correct path from among competing alternatives, has been the subject of this entire Course-indeed, of the entire NWC curriculum. This, and the ability to determine strategic objectives-the goal at the end of the path-and to select and bring to bear the correct means in the correct way to arrive there, are the fundamentals of the strategic art.
However, the other two requirements-motivating others to pursue that course of action and displaying the requisite courage and tenacity to sustain the effort-have only been implicit in our discussions thus far. Today we are going to address them directly, albeit briefly.
James MacGregor Burns in his 1978 book Leadership, takes great pains to distinguish between power and leadership. Burns quotes Bertrand Russel's definition of power as the fundamental concept in social science "in the same sense that energy is a fundamental concept in physics." Power has two essential dimensions: motive and resources. That is, those in power possess both the intention to perform certain acts or bring about certain results, and the resources to make it happen.
What distinguishes leadership from simple power in human relations, is not the means and ends, but rather the ways in which the power is exerted. According to Burns, "leadership is exercised when persons with certain motives and purposes mobilize institutional, political, psychological, and other resources so as to arouse, engage and satisfy the motives of followers." However, it is obvious from a simple review of some of the more notorious villains in history, that this definition is ethically neutral. According to Burns, "Moral leadership is not mere preaching, or the uttering of pieties, or the insistence on social conformity. Moral leadership emerges from, and always returns to, the fundamental wants and needs, aspirations, and values of the followers." That is, ethical leadership is not focused on the exercise of power for its own sake, or for the exclusive attainment of the leader's ends using the followers as a means. Rather, it is the wielding of power (or authority) to motivate followers so as to achieve objectives that are in the mutual interest of both the leader and followers. Moral leadership concerns the ways in which authority is wielded, as well as the purpose or ends toward which it is directed.
Today's lesson will deal with the problems, obligations and demands of ethical military leadership at the strategic level.
Issues for Consideration
1. The articles of James Webb and Dennis J. Reimer present one critical and one positive view of military leadership. What are the common themes? What characteristics would you attribute to an ethical leader, and what priority would you give them? What are the practical outcomes of ethical as opposed to unethical behavior by those in positions of authority and leadership? Is there a difference between "military leadership" and leadership in general?
2. Much has been written recently about the "gap" between the US military and American society. Is there such a gap? Is it important? Why do you believe so much is being made of the issue? What are the implications of this issue for senior military leadership?
3. What do you believe are the most important challenges for senior military leaders over the next twenty years?
Required Readings
1. Gerald Parshall, "The Strategists of War," U.S. News and World Report (March 16, 1998), pp. 50-82.
2. Joel H. Rosenthal, "Today's Officer Corps: A Respository of Virtue in an Anarchic World?" Naval War College Review, vol L, no 4 (Autumn, 1997), pp. 105-111.
3. Dennis J. Reimer, "Leadership for the 21st Century: Empowerment, Environment, and the Golden Rule," Military Review (January/February, 1997), pp. 47-51.
4. Richard A. Chilcoat, Strategic Art: The New Discipline for 21st Century Leaders, (Carlisle, PA: United States Army Strategic Studies Institute, 1995), pp. 1-24.
5. Andrew J. Bacevich, "Losing Private Ryan - Why the Citizen-Soldier is MIA," National Review, v. 51, n. 15, August 9, 1999, pp. 32-34.
6. "The Civilian-Military Gap," Transcript, Online Newshour, MacNeil-Lehrer Productions, November 10, 1999.
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