Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and Carl von Clausewitz, in his monumental work, On War, stated that in order to defeat an enemy, a military force must destroy both his means and his will to resist. Destroying an enemy's means to resist is quantifiable and can be done through superiority in numbers, firepower, and attrition. However, defeating an enemy's will to resist is not measurable and cannot be guaranteed through superior firepower or strength. Therefore, victory in war can be measured by not only how much of an enemy's means to resist is destroyed, but also by how much his will to resist is shattered. This monograph concludes that currently in Iraq, the United States is seeking a total war solution with a limited war force structure and mindset. The US is attempting to defeat the enemy's will to resist without the sustained passion of the people and without the total focus of the government. In order to achieve the desired results in Iraq, interagency coordination must be strengthened. The US military can solely and successfully conduct Phase III of an operation, which focuses on destroying an enemy's means to resist. However, Phase IV must be an interagency process if the US seeks to defeat an enemy's will to resist. After toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein in a few weeks, the decisive operational maneuver victory was not enough to defeat the enemy's will to fight. Instead of challenging US forces in a conventional military battle, the enemy has now sought an asymmetrical fight through the use of suicide bombers, kidnappings, beheadings and improvised explosive devices in order to wear down US resolve. This monograph ascertains what is needed to completely defeat the enemy. More importantly, the monograph argues that when the Soviet Union dissolved, the military and policy makers should have recognized the paradigm shift in warfighting, which could lead in our quest for a total war solution without a nuclear exchange.
SUBJECT TERMSCarl von Clausewitz, in his monumental work, On War, stated that in order to defeat an enemy, a military force must destroy both his means and his will to resist. Destroying an enemy's means to resist is quantifiable and can be done through superiority in numbers, firepower and attrition. However, defeating an enemy's will to resist is not measurable and cannot be guaranteed through superior firepower or strength. Therefore, victory in war can be measured by not only how much of an enemy's means to resist is destroyed, but ...
