Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Compellence
2. Defense
3. Deterrence
4. Swaggering
1. Compellence: deployment of military power to prevent adversary from doing something that
he has already undertaken or to get him to do something that he has not undertaken and
would have otherwise undertaken
e.g. Making Iraq leave Kuwait
Both physical and peaceful employment of force may be involved
Hard to achieve
2. Defense: the deployment of mil power to do two things: ward off attack & minimize damage
if attacked
Can take form of both peaceful & physical employment of force and both repellent (second)
and offensive (first) strike
Preventive and preemptive strike
3 Cs of deterrence
1. Communication: Drawing a Red Line
Make adversary understand what action is prohibited and what the cost will be
2. Capabilities
3. Credibility: is the threat believable - Bluffing?
4. Swaggering much harder to define than the other three; in part, it is a residual category,
which is the use of force for reasons other than deterrence, compellence or defense
The use of swaggering is vague /unclear; aims to enhance national pride/ feel good factor; show
off, perhaps to enhance prestige
In conclusion
It is one thing to identify and define the 4 uses of force and another to discriminate between
them analytically
Why?
Because we need to know motive behind action to judge its purpose without that, impossible
to know the precise purpose of the use of force actions or words not = motive X action can
be for more than one purpose; words are just words
1. Offense/Defense: Balance
Defense stronger then Offense: Increased Stability
Offense Stronger then Defense: Increased Instability
Sources of Variation:
Weapons Technology
Civilian Technology (transport & Communication)
Geography
2. Offense/Defense: Posture
if an offensive posture can be distinguished from a defensive posture: Increased Stability
Sources of variation:
Deployment?
Weapons technology
Nuclear weapons?