Introduction

The spring 1982 war in the South Atlantic between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands has had a special salience in the West. A current concern, especially voiced on Capitol Hill, is that the United States is developing military forces without a clear scheme for their employment. Strategy is the vital link in the transformation of national policy into objectives that may be stated in sufficient concrete detail to provide purpose. The Falklands conflict is rich in lessons for the United States, richer than most other recent conflicts. The Falklands War was a test of the concepts that guide American engagement in the world and the ideas that dictate the character and posture of its armed forces. The Falklands conflict points to a number of key forces that are shaping the character of the change.