The Missing Principle of War

Abstract

Abstract : The nine principles of war have guided American military doctrine since 1921. However, these principles since their formulation eighty years ago, have not accounted for the human dimension of war. Major military operations and campaigns are not won or lost with machines or new technologies, but with people. The human factor is the most important element on the field of battle. Military theorists, historians, and leaders have indicated that high morale is the single most significant attribute a nation and its military forces can have to succeed in war. Morale, on the surface, appears to be easily understood, but, in reality, it is a complex term that does not lend itself to a simple examination. Morale is the conceptual measure of the human will. It is the abstract calibration of the determination of an individual, unit, army, or nation to achieve its intentions. While abstract, morale is something that you maintain, protect, and attack. Military forces from other nations such as the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and Russia consider morale as a principle of war. Perhaps the time has come for the United States to adopt morale as the tenth principle of war. The adoption would ensure that the importance of the human dimension of war is not lost as emerging technologies push in the direction of dehumanizing the battlefield. Morale has endured the test of time and proven itself in war. It should be considered a principle of war.