Warriors Don't Do Windows? Who Says?, Since When?

The end of the Cold War has provided the United States a respite from the focused geopolitical and military policy of containment. Unfortunately, without the stability coerced by a bipolar world, the shutters have come off and the shades have gone up on the windows to a new world disorder. The world has a multipolar, interdependent, global economy, but the legacy of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, drug trafficking, religious and ethnic extremism generates increasing threats to that free market, democratic ideal the American public wants for all countries. The current National Security Strategy is one of engagement and enlargement or preventive diplomacy. The National Military Strategy is one of flexible and selective engagement or preventive deterrence. Both of these strategies emphasize the use of military forces for considerable work other than fighting the nation's wars. Without having a peer competitor in the world, as far as military power is concerned, there is now immense pressure to use the military as the arbitrator, peacemaker and savior to the world. Why should the military be given the task of doing these windows or operations other than war (OOTW)? This report considers the for and against arguments in the decision to expand the military's non-traditional roles and missions. It also analyzes various operations to support the arguments. The findings reflect that the military can do and will continue to do an excellent job in operations short of war, as they have done in the past. However, the readiness of a force structure necessary to maintain war-fighting capabilities, must not be left in jeopardy. The report's conclusion includes a determination that a smaller force and budget can still accomplish both the primary mission of fighting the country's wars, as well as the myriad peacetime engagements and conflict preventions it's leaders request.