Military Operations

New Logic For Leaders During Military Operations Other Than War
By Kenneth Rice

What are some of the dangers of using the military instrument of power in Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) and how might they best be avoided?

Military Might is No Longer Just a Thor’s Hammer

Thor was probably the most popular of Vikings gods, protecting the world by fighting giant enemies with his mighty hammer. The U.S. military, like ‘Thor’s Hammer’, has fought big wars, massed enough military might to fight major wars on two fronts, fought giants such as Germany and Japan, and staved off Russia during the cold war. While preparing for such warfare, U.S. forces have increasingly engaged in smaller-scale operations such as fighting insurgencies and counterinsurgencies, combating terrorism, rescuing noncombatants from war zones, supporting friendly governments, rendering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, participating in peacekeeping operations, as well as other challenges other than war. Currently there are no giants to fight or global wars to win. Operations other than war have moved to center stage and political-military leaders must give more attention to preparing for these types of operations.

“Following over a decade of substantial and extensive American military involvement, peace operations have passed from a position of strategic irrelevance to one of strategic importance.” (Bhatia, 2003, p. 2). Typical deployments today are large-scale peace operations that tend to be operationally complex, protracted and politically volatile. The U.S. military's growing role in peace operations raises concerns regarding the dangers of using the military instrument of power in operations other than war.

Noticeable Trends

The military has normally played a supporting role during crises, helping relief agencies provide assistance rather than taking the lead. Relief agencies are often better able to carry out assistance tasks due to past experience. The military should accomplish tasks unrelated to its core mission only on an exceptional basis, (i. e., when no civilian agency can do the job quickly or well enough under the circumstances). But exceptions can be the rule during the first phases of complex contingency operations, while the situation remains unstable and civilian agencies are not yet fully able to carry out their responsibilities. If preparations are limited to only the initial tasking, military forces may not be prepared for subsequent, more ambitious objectives.