May 17, 2017
The President, the Pentagon, and the People
Carl von Clausewitz wrote, “Its dominant tendencies always make war a paradoxical trinity, composed of primordial violence, hatred, and enmity. . . .The first of these three aspects mainly concerns the people; the second the commander and his army; the third the government.” Clausewitz further wrote that to be effective, a nation must "maintain a balance between these three tendencies like an object suspended between three magnets." Examining the preparedness of the United States government, military, and people in ascending order of strength and importance is instructive.
Read the full article at Real Clear Defense.
More from CNAS
-
Are We Ready? | America’s Next Battlefield, with Thomas Shugart
Podcast
Thomas Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at CNAS, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the tools and tactics of warfare have changed in the past decade and whether the ...
By Tom Shugart
-
How Are China, Ukraine and the U.S. Actually Using Military AI?
Video
Artificial intelligence is being used on the battlefields of Ukraine right now — or is it? That’s one of the questions driving the second part of Breaking Defense's roundtable...
By Josh Wallin
-
Commentary
Defense / Indo-Pacific Security
Is the U.S. Ready for War with China?U.S. military planners are caught in an impossible dilemma....
By Franz-Stefan Gady
-
The Pentagon Is Using Artificial Intelligence Right Now. Here’s How.
Video
Artificial intelligence is the future of the military, or so Pentagon leaders keep saying. But is it the future — or is that future already here? That’s the question Breaking ...
By Josh Wallin
