Concepts of strategic war: a basis of a new approach to strategic assessment. Final report, 15 October 1978-1 October 1982

This study seeks to identify both major shortcomings in strategic assessment and those attributes of strategic force postures and employment methods strategic assessment should emphasize. The purpose of strategic forces should evolve from a consideration of acceptable war outcomes rather than from advocacy or from sensitivity to arbitrary scenarios assessments. Contingency and scenario development should follow formulation of the concept of war rather that providing its basis. The theory of victory assumed in the notion of acquisitive war does not necessarily require the decisive defeat of an adversary's military forces and is not contingent on the expectations of a favorable military outcome. Domestic, political, and economic weakness may be fundamental precipitants of war. The war termination problem is one of determining how military means can most effectively and efficiently bring about preferred outcomes. War fighting and war termination strategies must be consistent, but this area of concern has been long neglected and little understood.