Strategic Landpower

Abstract

While Clausewitz would suggest that the nature of war never changes, the nature of landpower has changed over time. Deviant globalization and the empowerment of non-state actors have increased the challenges in the application of landpower. Non-state actors, such as the Taliban, the Islamic State, Al Qa'ida, and Transnational Criminal Networks (TCN) are just a few examples. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, landpower has been employed to address a much broader range of traditional and non-traditional threats. While the United States has a strong record of accomplishment in successfully employing landpower at the tactical and operational levels, its ability to achieve desired political outcomes with the application of landpower is less stellar. By examining the diffusion of power and its impact on non-state actors, senior military leaders will be better equipped to employ landpower in pursuit of US interests. Leaders seeking to employ strategic landpower must improve their ability to link tactical and operational success to strategic victory.