ABSTRACT
Senior military officers have an important role to play in deciding how a state views the place and role of military force in statecraft. The use of armed force is a most difficult form of government policy. Not only are the political outcomes of warfare unpredictable, but also the ambiguity and complexity of modern conflict can easily reinforce national prejudices and self-deception. 1 Despite the well-established history of theorizing about the use of force in international politics, the study of security issues has been made more complex by the increase in forms of violence that do not fit conventionally understood categories. 2 This means that the development of effective strategy, which has always been a difficult and contentious enterprise, is becoming even more arduous.
