Defence Forces Review 2010

How Helpful is the Concept of Total War?the key to a move away from total war scenarios. These scenarios do not require opposingforces analysis, estimates of mobilisation or any of the trappings of conventional war. ‘Thenumber of one’s cities that can be severely damaged is at least equal to the number of strategicwarheads an adversary can deliver’, 64 it just depends on who strikes first and where. It ishoped that Bernard Brodie is correct and the ‘traditional offensive strategies of annihilationmust give way to those that sought to control and avoid their application.’ 65Colin Gray states that a terrifyingly apt illustration of the merit in Clausewitz’s twin focuson absolute and real war ‘may be found in the practice of nuclear strategy.’ 66 Nuclear stateshave the best motivation to prepare for war through self-preservation since any nuclear warwill paradoxically be both limited and total. It will be limited in time and resources but totalin result, supporting the view that totality in war can be attained in many ways. Although thepresumption of justification rests with democratic states ‘in practice…the ability of politicomilitarycommand to insist upon tight limitation of nuclear effort could be desperately fragile.’ 67This is evident in an interview by McGeorge Bundy, a former aide to the U.S. Secretary ofWar who pointed out that under the wartime doctrine of strategic bombing, Hiroshima andNagasaki in fact were legitimate military targets, “in the same way that New York is a militarytarget today.” 68 This indicates not only the usefulness of the concept of total war but the realityof the political decision with regards to the morality of killing millions to save millions.‘The causes of war are manifold and complex, but the underlying roots are usually found inpolitical, economic, territorial, or ideological competition’ 69 and this is as certain to continueas is the philosophy of human nature. The end is supposed to justify the means but it dependson the end in sight and the leadership in power. ‘Wars tend to become total as the price ofvictory rises and the quest for decision remains unsatisfied.’ 70ConclusionThe practical application of a total war concept lies in the widening of ethical and legalacceptability using technology as its manifestation. This facilitates doubt on the moralityof violence in contemporary circumstances specific to the realities of today’s conflict. ‘Theperceived legitimacy of the mass-killing project, be it genocide or war, is a very importantelement in securing the cooperation of the ordinary citizens.’ 71 They are required to build,decide on and implement the killing project. Today, it is the government who decide on war,the politicians who administer the government and the people who build the weapons. ColinGray ‘interprets modern strategic history by referring to the rise and fall of the theory andpractice of total war’ with two notable caveats. The first is that of a people’s revolutionary warwhere the theoretical aspiration logically rests in a total war, and the second is a nuclear warwith the ever-feared promise of totality. 72 War has developed over the centuries from beinga large-scale effort into a total effort. Total war was so acceptable that it became, and couldbecome again a policy of war, one to plan for rather than to avoid.64 Waltz, Op cit, p. 354.65 Hunt, B.D., ‘The Outstanding Naval Strategic Writers of the Century’, Naval War College Review, Vol.37, No.5, September-October 1984, p. 99.66 Gray (1999) Op cit, p. 105.67 Ibid.68 Messer, Op cit, p. 299.69 Pierre, A., ‘The Impact of Arms Sales’, in Freedman, Op cit, p. 353.70 Gray (1999) Op cit, p. 157.71 Markusen and Kopf, Op cit, p. 75.72 Gray (1999) Op cit, p. 189.33