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THE EVOLUTION OF THE TRINITY:
A 21ST CENTURY 'HYBRID' WAR THEORY
Lieutenant Colonel James F. Harp
United States Marine Corps
U.S. Army War College Class of 2011
The views expressed in the document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Department of the Army, the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. |
SUMMARY
The 'hybrid' theory of war set forth in this document is the result of combining the best
aspects of existing war theories with the unique influences of the current strategic environment to produce a refined theory of war for
the modern international arena. The foundation of all war theories stems from four basic questions: What is war? Why and by whom are wars fought?
What constitutes the nature, character and characteristics of war? How are wars won?
This U.S. Army War College student author seeks to derive new answers to these questions through a careful analysis of classical and modern theorists alike,
as measured against the harsh critique of history. He argues that the answers to these critical questions along with a dynamic evolution of
Clausewitz's remarkable trinity form
the greater concept of a 'hybrid' theory of war, providing a more congruous application of ends, ways and means to 21st century warfare. He concludes
that while many of the examples used in this document correlate directly to U.S. interests, any state, nation, or party capable of war should
find the immutable nature of these fundamental concepts intuitively relevant.
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