A strategic military goal is used in

strategic Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

military operation plan A military operation plan (also called a war plan before World War II) is a formal plan for military armed forces, their military organizations and units to conduct operations, as drawn up by commanders within the combat operations process Comba ...

s to define the desired end-state of a war or a campaign. Usually it entails either a strategic change in an enemy's

military posture Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word '' strategos'', the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow s ...

, intentions or ongoing operations, or achieving a

strategic victory A strategic victory is a victory that brings long-term advantage to the victor and disturbs the enemy's ability to wage a war. When historians speak of a victory in general, they usually refer to a strategic victory. Usually it comes together with ...

over the enemy that ends the conflict, although the goal can be set in terms of

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economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

conditions, defined by purely territorial gains, or the evidence that the enemy's will to fight has been broken. Sometimes the strategic goal can be to

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the scope of the conflict.

Description

It is the highest level of organisational achievement in a

military organisation Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation' ...

, and is usually defined by the

national defence policy Military policy (also called defence policy or defense policy) is public policy dealing with multinational security and the military. It comprises the measures and initiatives that governments do or do not take in relation to decision-making and ...

. In terms of goal assignment it corresponds to operations performed by a

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

or a fleet on a theatre scale, and by an

Army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled by ...

or, during the

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, by a

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

Front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * ''The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and e ...

. A strategic goal is achieved by reaching specific strategic objectives that represent intermediary and incremental advances within the overall strategic plan. This is necessary because "high-level" strategic goals are often abstract, and therefore difficult to assess in terms of achievement without referring to some specific, often physical objectives. However, aside from the obstacles used by the enemy to prevent achievement of the strategic goal, inappropriate technological capabilities and operational weakness in

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

may prevent fulfilment of the strategic plan. As an example, these are illustrated by the failure of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

's Bomber Command during the winter of 1943-44:

A critical product of the analysis which leads to the strategic decision to use military force is determination of the national goal to be achieved by that application of force.

However, analysis of

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

abounds with examples of the two factors that plague goal setting in

military strategies Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek word '' strategos'', the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow s ...

, their change during the campaign or war due to changes in economic, political or

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or sociocult ...

s within the state, or in a change of how achievement of the existing goal is being assessed, and the criteria of its achievement. For example:

The complex and varied nature of the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
made it especially difficult to translate abstract, strategic goals into specific missions for individual organizations.

This occurred because of the economic change that saw the cost of the war escalate beyond the original predictions and the changing political leadership, which was no longer willing to commit to the conduct of the war, but also due to the radical change which

United States society The society of the United States is based on Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruviu ...

experienced during the war, and more importantly because:

The American strategic goal was not the destruction of an organized military machine armed with tanks, planes, helicopters, and war ships, for which the United States had prepared, but the preservation of a fragile regime from the lightly armed attacks of both its own people and the North Vietnamese.

The United States did not intend to conquer North Vietnam for fear of a

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military reaction. Likewise, the United States strategically assumed that the full extent of its power was not merited in the Vietnam War.p.57, Anderson

References

Sources

* Aron, Raymond, (ed.), ''Peace & War: A Theory of International Relations'', Transaction Publishers, 2003. * Millett, Allan R. & Murray, Williamson, (eds.), ''Military Effectiveness: The First World War'', Volume I., Mershon Center series on International Security and Foreign Policy, Routledge, 1988 * Newell, Clayton R., ''Framework of Operational War'', Routledge, 1991 * Gartner, Scott Sigmund, ''Strategic Assessment in War'', Yale University Press, 1999 * Anderson, David L. ''Columbia's Guide to the Vietnam War'', New York: Columbia UP, 2002. {{ISBN, 978-0-231114936 Military strategy

Description

See also

References

Sources