Overview

Non-kinetic warfare, or conflict without the use of force for the purpose of inflicting physical damage, is rapidly gaining in importance. Scholars of war even from the time of Sun Zi have articulated that the enemy's destruction is neither essential nor necessarily the best route to ultimate victory. The insurgency attributes that have characterized many wars since World War II suggest that the objective of warfare has shifted from the kinetic destruction of military forces to the non-kinetic impairment of the enemy's will to fight. The four global trends identified here, economic prosperity, freedom of information, the rise of nationalism and globalization and interdependence, are possible causes for this shift, but, more importantly, they are factors that make war a less attractive option than ever. The last major conflict between major powers was won with barely a single kinetic conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union-an excellent model of non-kinetic conflict and perhaps a sign of things to come. In the Cold War, the military largely played a supporting role. In an age characterized by the information revolution and globalization, the Information and Diplomatic instruments of power will rise in importance. Even in a supporting role, the Military instrument nonetheless remains relevant, not least because kinetic conflict can never be ruled out. However its non-kinetic potential needs to be developed in order for it to be more effective in today's world. Three ways to achieving this end are: developing an interagency approach to the military; imbuing a supporting diplomatic role for the military; and a comprehensive and coherent information strategy not only for the military, but at all levels of government. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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