War Plans
War Plans.An effective war plan must reflect the goals of the state and enable a nation's armed forces to fight on favorable terms. Strategic plans have to deal with numerous factors, including force generation, logistics intelligence, the power and intentions of the enemy, and when necessary the strength and interests of allies. No plan can eliminate the unexpected, described by Carl von Clausewitz as friction, and many commanders believe that no plan can survive the first contact with the enemy—when it must be immediately modified. War plans are nonetheless indispensable, both for mobilization and for establishing the broad outlines of specific military operations. A war plan must not only meet the general requirements of effectiveness but also respond to particular national and historical contexts. U.S. war plans have been in large part shaped by American history and...
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