Limited vs. total war Brian W Brennan Armor; Sep/Oct 2002; 111, 5; ProQuest Direct Complete pg. 8 Limited vs. Total War by Captain Brian W. Brennan retain its dominant role in world af­ tie and to break his will to continue the fairs, it will have to look back at past conflict. total war strategies and incorporate Limited war is entirely different. At them into future operations. Since 1776, the U.S. Government and, the dawn of the Cold War, when the more specifically, the U.S. Army have Soviet Union entered the nuclear age, The concept of total war is fairly sim­ struggled with how best to fight our na­ the Truman and Johnson administra­ ple. Total war is best defined by the old tion's wars. tions were concerned that a war of any Soviet definition for a "Total 'Naya kind would risk global nuclear annihi­ Though the terms "total war" and Voyna," or "foreign or total war," lation, so a limited warfare policy was "limited war" are relatively new and which states that a total war is "an all­ developed. were developed to describe the United embracing imperialist war, waged by States' efforts to minimize civilian ca­ all manner of means, not only against The policy's goal was "to exact good sualties, prevent global nuclear annihi­ enemy armed forces, but against the behavior or to oblige discontinuance of lation, and engage the enemy only in entire population of a nation, with a mischief, not to destroy the subject specific, politically driven battlefields, view to its complete destruction."2 It is altogether."3 This type of warfare, how­ their concepts have been debated for in this kind of war that almost every ever, was not at all in accordance with centuries. I It is through the lens of mil­ citizen of that nation is mobilized to what had become America's way of itary successes that we can truly exam­ drive the war effort. Automobile facto­ war. In fact, its citizens and its military ine the validity of limited warfare in to­ ries are converted to tank plants; cruise were appalled by what political scien­ day's low-intensity conflict laden world. ships become troop transports; food tist Robert Osgood called the "galling America's lack of success in campaigns and valuable commodities are rationed; but indispensable restraints" they en­ and battles on the modem battlefield and average citizens are conscripted countered in limited war.4 has been the direct result of a shift in into the military to become soldiers and of focus from the total war practices sailors. There are no holds barred in Total Victory World War II and the American Civil total war. Soldiers are killed on the War, to the limited war concepts devel­ battlefield - as in any conflict - but The validity of the limited war politi­ oped by the Truman and Johnson ad­ in a total war, commercial shipping is cal philosophy is best seen when exam­ ministrations during the early days of sunk, factories are reduced to rubble by ining the victories and defeats of the the Cold War, and practiced in the jun­ bombs and rockets, and civilian popula­ U.S. military. Over the past 200 years, gles of Vietnam and the deserts of Ku­ tion centers are targeted to deny the the U.S. Army's war record is testi­ wait and Iraq. If the United States is to enemy the means with which to do bat- mony to the importance of the total war 8 ARMOR - September-October 2002 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. "World War II is one of the best examples of the total war philosophy's success. During World War II, the United States mobilized every asset available to meet the demands of the immense military machine it fielded to meet the Japanese-German threat. " philosophy. Numerous battles and cam­ over 300 miles per hour.? This seem­ When offered the chance to save them­ paigns have been won or lost simply ingly large number of civilian casual­ selves from "the devastations of war because the combatants either were or ties paled in comparison to the 90,000 preparing for [them], only by with­ were not able to completely destroy the civilians killed in Hiroshima when the drawing [their] quota out of the Con­ enemy or render him incapable of United States dropped the first nuclear federate Army, and aiding [General mounting military operations. device, and the 35,000 killed in Na­ Sherman] to expel [the Confederate Ar­ gasaki when they dropped the second my] from the borders of the State," the W orld War II is one of the best exam­ one.s By bombing these cities, the Unit­ Georgian government remained indig­ ples of the total war philosophy's suc­ ed States and her allies showed the nant. 12 cess. During World War II, the United Axis Powers that they were willing to States mobilized every asset available Sherman then razed Atlanta and pro­ go to any length necessary to achieve to meet the demands of the immense ceeded on his historic march to the complete and total victory. There would military machine it fielded to meet the sea, again, destroying everything in his be no negotiated peace. There would Japanese-German threat. By 1945, the path. As Sherman's march continued, be total, unconditional surrender, or the U.S. Army had 891,663 officers and he slowly eroded the Confederacy's Allies would continue to fight, as was 7,376,295 enlisted personnel, and was ability to wage war, and in April 1865, necessary in the case of Adolf Hitler's producing over 2,400 tanks per month General Lee, finding himself and his Germany, where the Soviet Red Army - a far cry from the mere 14,186 offi­ army between two Union Armies, sur­ was forced to fight all the way through cers and 175,353 enlisted personnel it rendered to General Grant at Appomat­ Berlin. had in 1939, while spending a mere 2 tox Court House. The Army of the Con­ percent of the nation's gross national America's Civil War can also be used federacy laid down their arms, parked product on defense.s to demonstrate one of the many suc­ their artillery and went home, never cesses the U.S. Army has had using to­ again to take up arms against the Fed­ The total war goal for World War II tal war philosophy. The United States' eral Government. was the unconditional surrender of It­ aly, Germany, and Japan. No other op­ transition from limited to total war can be seen by reviewing the Union's loss­ Limited Defeat tions were acceptable. The United States es in the early days of the war when the and its allies could not, and would not, The United States has not always government was, according to General be defeated. The degree to which the adopted the total war philosophy for var­ William T. Sherman's memoirs, "ex­ allies pursued their goals is best sum­ ious reasons. The U.S. military adopted tremely wavering and weak."9 marized in a 1944 British report that a limited war strategy for the Korean states: "In five years of drastic labor American losses at battles, such as War in the early 1950s. The fear of es­ mobilization, nearly every man and Ball's Bluff and Bull Run, revealed a calation and global nuclear war between every woman under fifty without young Union Army unwilling to go complete­ communist China and Western Allies children has been subject to direction ly to war with the Confederacy. At the caused the U.S., under the leadership of to work ....The hours of work average onset of the war, Congress was unwill­ President Harry S. Truman, to refuse the fifty-three for men and fifty overall; ing to admit that Union forces were use of nuclear weapons against North when work is done, every citizen ... has going to have to adopt a total war strat­ Korea and its Chinese allies, as well as had to do forty-eight hours a month egy to defeat the Confederates and re­ refuse to invade China. After 3 years of duty in the Home Guard or Civil De­ store the Union. This was possibly due fighting, the U.N. forces, under which fense."6 to the fact that at the very beginning of the U.S. fought, were only able to re­ the war, "many of the Southern repre­ establish prewar conditions along the Civilian and economic mobilization, sentatives remained in Congress, shar­ 38th paralle\. however, were not the only aspects of ing in public councils, and influencing the allied campaign that adhered to the Today, this cease-fire agreement re­ legislation." 10 total war philosophy. The strategic mil­ mains fragile, occupying a great deal of itary planning involved in World War Regardless of the causes of this pol­ U.S. military power, and allowing North II also demonstrated total war charac­ icy, such political decisions as the gov­ Korea's government to retain its adver­ teristics. Not only did the Allies bomb ernment's refusal to immediately adopt sarial role in Western politics. For the major German and Japanese industrial Winfield Scott's "Anaconda Plan" that first time, U.S. military leaders were re­ centers to cripple their respective war entailed naval blockades and the sei­ stricted in both the weapons they were machines, they also fire bombed major zure of the Mississippi River, served to permitted to bring to bear against the population centers, such as Hamburg, lengthen the war.