Science, Strategy and War The Strategic Theory of ... - Boekje Pienter

strategist’s task is not to create wise policy or successful schemes of military action, butrather to build and repair the bridges that connect the two.Third, it is extraordinarily difficult to train people to be competent strategists. Thereis little in the training of professional politicians or soldiers that would equip them well forstrategic responsibilities. The military professional is not taught how engagements should beused for the object of the war. Similarly, the rising politician is promoted for maturingpolitical skills. Where strategy is the bridge between military and political actions, it is notreadily apparent that someone is well versed in how to built it. But strategic excellence callsfor a type of judgment that cannot be taught the same way or in the same degree as tacticalexcellence.Fourth, strategy places unique physical and moral burdens on the would-bestrategist. As Clausewitz stated, strategic performance can be degraded by danger, fatigue,and anxiety born of uncertainty. Finally, friction interferes. Friction is the cluster of factorsthat cause the implementation of a plan to veer away from intention. Friction, according toClausewitz famous explanation, is the only concept that more or less corresponds to thefactors that distinguish real war from war on paper. The reason why friction can be sodamaging at the strategic level is because, by definition, that level must accommodate,integrate, and direct all of the activities that constitute war. At the strategic level ofperformance there is more that can go wrong 29 . Hence Clausewitz’ introduction of thenotion of genius as the quality of good commanders.To reinforce the last point, the difficulty of strategy becomes also readily apparentwhen one considers the following list of elements – or rather pervasive and interpenetratingdimensions – a strategist must fuse to form strategy, or conversely, what factors affect themaking and working of strategy 30 :People and politics Preparation for war War properPeople Economics Military operationsSociety Logistics CommandCulture Organization GeographyPolitics Military administration FrictionEthics Information & intelligence AdversaryStrategic theory & doctrine TimeTechnologyIndeed, strategy matters but is also very difficult, and the same holds true for strategictheory.The theory in strategic theoryStrategic theoryThe importance of good strategy suggests strategic theory to be highly relevant, but thedifficulties of strategy also promise developing good strategic theory to be highlyproblematic. Strategic theory is a strange animal indeed, and as theory it deviates in some29 This summary of factors is an excerpt of Colin Gray, Explorations in Strategy (Greenwood Press,Westport Connecticut, 1996), pp.8-11.30 Gray, Modern Strategy, pp.23-44.18