The Military and The Drug War: Operational Art at an Impasse?

America has been losing the war on drugs for over fifteen years. Why This paper will examine the reasons for the limited success enjoyed by United States government agencies, and in particular, the military. Some of the major causes of frustration for the military in fighting this perplexing war include lack of training, lack of desire, lack of funded programs, interagency coordination problems, difficulties with operational design, difficulties coordinating operations with other nations, inability to translate the stated national strategy into achievable military objectives, absence of a flexible infrastructure, limited diplomatic success, lack of a unified command structure, and widespread corruption of foreign agencies at all levels. Each of these has contributed to a rather ineffective counter-drug campaign which has left many national agencies frustrated. The courageous men and women who risk their lives fighting this tragic war are in search of a more robust and efficacious counter-drug strategy. This essay will examine the limited role which the military plays in counter-drug operations, analyze how the strategic goals and objectives of the National Drug Control Strategy are pursued by military planners, and illustrate how a more aggressive military strategy is not likely to foster better results.