Is Non-Lethal Force The Future Of Warfare?

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Diamond Aranda scans the area while providing security during a downed vehicle recovery in the Now Zad district of Afghanistan's Helmand province, Feb. 16, 2014. Aranda, an assaultman, is assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sean Searfus

The Future of Military Force -- Robert Kozloski, Real Clear Defense

Non-Lethal Force Could Be the Future of Warfare

“Killing people and destroying things for some political purpose” is how prominent defense scholar Richard Betts describes the essence of military force. Betts’ description reflects the pervasive view of military force held by most military and foreign policy experts. However, it does not account for a variety of non-lethal options that policy makers will have to consider using in future conflicts.

America’s use of conventional military force since World War II has achieved mixed political results. In the future, the traditional instruments of national power may be even less effective because of America’s domestic problems and shifts in the geopolitical environment. These conditions will force security experts to develop new approaches to national power projection. As America struggles to maintain its position in the international system, it will be faced with the dilemma that its expensive military tools may not be appropriate for the political task at hand.

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My Comment: You cannot change human nature .... and human nature has been a violent one. And while casualty rates from global warfare have decreased in the past few decades .... it will not take much for such a condition to be blown out of the water and casualty rates approach horrific levels of slaughter that would make the Second World War pale in comparison.