Suchergebnisse

Over a century ago, Gilbert and Sullivan developed a caricature of a contempo- rary general officer of the British service in their operetta Pirates of Penzance. Almost three decades ago, Colonel Donald F. Bletz of the U.S. Army War College faculty published an article using this caricature, Major General Stanley, as a model of what should not be the typical general officer of the future.1 Since that future is now, it is useful to examine the factors that contribute to and influence the development of a professional military officer, particularly an officer who has achieved general or flag rank and so can be considered a strategic leader.

Understandably, military planners and strategists are often overtaken by real-world events. Given the profound changes in the world in the past few years, the basis for planners' analysis has not changed: strategy and force structure designed to enhance deterrence at reasonable and acceptable costs. Planners require new and refined guidance to move into uncharted post-Cold War waters. Military planners should call upon resources provided by arms control initiatives. Arms control offers the opportunity to negotiate parity at the lowest practical levels and to develop strategies and force structures with a relatively high assurance of success against potential enemies. The Strategic Arms Reduction Talks, Conventional Forces in Europe, and Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaties offer unique opportunities to apply arms control agreements to enhance defense planners' efforts. Future treaties should be shaped by defense needs as well as by arms control theories and broader foreign policy concerns.

MILITARY PLANNERS AND STRATEGISTS REQUIRE NEW AND REFINED GUIDANCE TO MOVE INTO THE UNCHARTED POST-COLD WAR WATERS. THEY SHOULD CALL UPON THE RESOURCES PROVIDED BY ARMS CONTROL INITIATIVES. ARMS CONTROL OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO NEGOTIATE PARITY AT THE LOWEST PRACTICAL LEVELS AND TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES AND FORCE STRUCTURES WITH A RELATIVELY HIGH ASSURANCE OF SUCCESS AGAINST POTENTIAL ENEMIES. THE STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TALKS, CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN EUROPE, AND INTERMEDIATE-RANGE NUCLEAR FORCES TREATIES OFFER UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO APPLY ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS TO ENHANCE DEFENSE PLANNERS' EFFORTS. FUTURE TREATIES SHOULD BE SHAPED BY DEFENSE NEEDS AS WELL AS BY ARMS CONTROL THEORIES AND BROADER FOREIGN POLICY CONCERNS.