National Principles of War: Guiding National Power to Victory

The Principles of War have long served as the foundation for warfighting doctrine, the how-to checklist for waging war. The current set of principles, however, was developed by military men for military applications and does not meet the intent of a guide to war for the diplomatic, informational, and economic elements of national power. Relevant Principles of War must be applicable to every element of national power and encourage unified and coordinated action across and between diplomacy, economic policy, military action, and national information. As a nation, we can no longer afford to view war as solely a military action. The changing nature of the threat and the growing number of complex contingency operations we face requires a holistic view of war that includes every component of national power collectively referred to as DIME--Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic. National Principles of War must serve as a warfighting guide not just to the military but also to the other elements of the United States national power. Using Operation Iraqi Freedom as a case study, this paper examines the deficiencies of the current Principles of War, provides a recommendation for the National Principles of War, and looks at how the National Principles of War apply to Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF.