Conduct of War

The conduct of war lies at the heart of international security policy. Even if never used, the capacity to conduct war successfully underpins deterrence and much of foreign policy. Creating and wielding this capacity is the ultimate purpose of most security policymakers’ jobs. The equipment, organization, recruitment and training of great power militaries are all shaped by the demands of conducting war. The agencies that field these militaries and shape these policies exist in large part to enable successful conduct in the event of war. A deep understanding of international politics thus requires awareness of the conduct of war and its demands. And the deepest possible knowledge of the theory and practice of modern warfare is among the most important skills a prospective participant in security policy making can bring to the enterprise – a sophisticated understanding of the conduct of war is foundational to almost everything else a security policy professional does. The purpose of this course is to provide a sufficient grounding in this essential material to enable students to participate effectively in the security policymaking process. In particular, the course is designed to equip students to shoulder the duties of an entry-level analyst or civil servant in the many executive branch agencies, legislative offices, think tanks, and international organizations whose duties involve the conduct of war. In the process, the course should give you the underlying intellectual foundations needed to learn more rapidly from your experience once you enter the field, and thus to graduate more quickly to positions of greater responsibility and influence within the field. But this is not a general education liberal arts course – while we will cover a body of important ideas about a major human enterprise, and while the course should sharpen students’ critical thinking skills, our priority will be pre-professional preparation for students who expect to work in the defense policy field after graduation.