ABSTRACT
The conduct of warfare, regardless of time or place, cannot be meaningfully understood without reference to strategy. This book is divided into chapters that deal with strategy in many different contexts. The essence of strategy, however, remains constant regardless of the situation. Strategy, which can best be described as the process that converts military power into policy effect, provides purpose and meaning to military activities. This opening chapter seeks to provide an understanding of strategy and the different levels at which it operates. Said understanding will not only define the core features of strategy, it will also identify those aspects of strategy that create substantial challenges for the practitioner. In particular, the discussion will focus on the troubled relationship between war and politics; the multidimensional nature of strategy; the polymorphous character of war; the nature of war; and friction. The chapter will then discuss the various ways in which these difficulties can be overcome. However, before the chapter delves into the complexities of strategy, it will consider the place of military power in the world of politics, and, in particular, will discuss the varied uses to which it can be put.
