DEPARTMENTOFDEFENSE LAW OFWARMANUAL JUNE2015

1.4.1 Object of War. The object of war has been understood to be the submission of the
enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible. 53 The military defeat of the enemy in war is
intended to advance political objectives. 54 Even where those political objectives are limited, the
object of war is nonetheless to ensure the submission of the enemy as quickly and efficiently as
possible. 55
The object of war informs the principle of military necessity and what uses of force may
be justified in war. 56 Nevertheless, the law of war limits what uses of force the object of war
may justify. 57
1.4.2 Nature of War.
1.4.2.1 Nature of War – Violence and Suffering. War has been described as a
violent clash of interests characterized by the use of force. 58 The fact that violence is an essential
53 See 1940 RULES OF LAND WARFARE 22 (“The object of war is to bring about the complete submission of the
enemy as soon as possible by means of regulated violence.”); 1914 RULES OF LAND WARFARE 10 (same).
54 George H. Aldrich, Deputy Legal Adviser, Department of State, Human Rights in Armed Conflict: Development
of the Law, Apr. 13, 1973, 68 DEPARTMENT OF STATE BULLETIN, 876, 880 (Jun. 18, 1973) (“What we have seen is
all too clearly a general acceptance of the view that modern war is aimed not merely at the enemy’s military forces
but at the enemy’s willingness and ability to pursue its war aims. Thus, in the Second World War the enemy’s will
to fight and his capacity to produce weapons were primary targets; and saturation bombing, blockade of food
supplies, and indiscriminate terror weapons such as the German V bombs, were all brought to bear on those targets.
In Viet-Nam political, rather than military, objectives were even more dominant. Both sides had as their goal not
the destruction of the other’s military forces but the destruction of the will to continue the struggle.”); United States
v. von Leeb, et al. (The High Command Case), XI TRIALS OF WAR CRIMINALS BEFORE THE NMT 485 (“War is the
exerting of violence by one state or politically organized body against another. In other words, it is the
implementation of a political policy by means of violence.”); CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, ON WAR 87 (1989) (“We see,
therefore, that war is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political
intercourse, carried on with other means. What remains peculiar to war is simply the peculiar nature of its means.
War in general, and the commander in any specific instance, is entitled to require that the trend and designs of policy
shall not be inconsistent with these means. That, of course, is no small demand; but however much it may affect
political aims in a given case, it will never do more than modify them. The political object is the goal, war is the
means of reaching it, and means can never be considered in isolation from their purpose.”).
55 For example, General Colin L. Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Forces: Challenges Ahead, 71
FOREIGN AFFAIRS 32, 37 (1992) (explaining that despite the limited political objectives of the 1991 Gulf War, the
United States “did use overwhelming force quickly and decisively.”).
56 Refer to § 2.2.1 (Military Necessity as a Justification); § 2.2.3.1 (Consideration of the Broader Imperatives of
Winning the War).
57 Refer to § 2.2.2 (Military Necessity and Law of War Rules).
58 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL 3-24, Counterinsurgency, 1-1 (1-1) (Dec. 2006) (“Insurgency and
counterinsurgency (COIN) are complex subsets of warfare. Globalization, technological advancement, urbanization,
and extremists who conduct suicide attacks for their cause have certainly influenced contemporary conflict;
however, warfare in the 21st century retains many of the characteristics it has exhibited since ancient times.
Warfare remains a violent clash of interests between organized groups characterized by the use of force. Achieving
victory still depends on a group’s ability to mobilize support for its political interests (often religiously or ethnically
based) and to generate enough violence to achieve political consequences. Means to achieve these goals are not
limited to conventional forces employed by nation-states.”); MARINE CORPS DOCTRINAL PUBLICATION 1,
Warfighting, 3 (Jun. 20, 1997) (explaining that war is “a violent clash of interests between or among organized
groups characterized by the use of military force.”).
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