War Determination Planning
Milan Vego
Repeatedly experience has shown that an even decisive victory in the main fighting phase of a military campaign will not guarantee achievement of the political objectives of a war, if the strategic success is not consolidated during the phase following the hostilities. Success or failure of the phase following the hostilities highly depends on the success of war determination, which in its turn requires a reasonable plan, prepared by operational command before the campaign and finally implemented expertly.
The success of war determination planning highly depends on suitable written regulations issued by political command in time. When the campaign is in progress it is the commander’s task to watch the situation, assess it anew, and alter his plans, his war determination plan included.
War determination is difficult to achieve because each party endeavours to demand better conditions than those prevailing before the outbreak of hostilities. Another problem is the fact that the emotional and psychological effects of a war require additional compensation. The greater the efforts of a warring nation and its war costs, the more vehemently will it defend its terms of peace.
The results of the war determination process highly depend on whether the victorious party aims at unlimited or limited strategic objectives. In a war with unlimited objectives the whole determination process is much easier than in a war with limited objectives, because the victorious party does not need the loser’s obligingness concerning its demands.
Choice of time and conditions for war determination, and the ensuing negotiations process, are the political decision-makers’ exclusive domain. The commander’s input to the process, however, his ability to create conditions beneficial to the success of negotiations, and the success of the phase following the end of hostilities, are critical factors in achieving political objectives and the desired end state. This also implies a sound relationship and steady communication between the political command and the commander on the theatre; otherwise, the failure to achieve the ultimate objectives of the war cannot be avoided.
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