What happens when political leaders take on strategy?

Craig, Gordon A., “The Political Leader as Strategist,” in Paret, Peter ed. Makers of Modern Strategy, pp. 481 – 509.

This is a great discussion of “the relationship between civilian and military authority at that moment in the process of war in which strategy is translated into operations.” Snapshots of the occasional successes and frequent muddlings caused by political leaders attempting to dictate strategy and manage war include the following:

1. Wrong choice, too late. Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, Germany’s first chancellor in WWI. Bethmann replaced Falkenhayn with Hindenburg/Ludendorff, erroneously thinking they would save him – and Germany – from the annexationists.

2. Hands-off, fearful. H. H. Asquith and David Lloyd George, Britain’s prime ministers were, for differing reasons, unable or unwilling to bend their military commanders’ activities (Haig/Robertson) to civilian strategy.

3. Squeaking by, just in time. French civilian leadership asserted itself the last year of the war, under the lead of premier Georges Clemenceau. Craig attributes this in part to France’s “revolutionary tradition”* and an expectation that generals would either succeed or be replaced.

*This is an interesting point. (What are the numbers of U.S. generals dismissed in each conflict post-Civil War?). Only two generals have been dismissed in eight years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also note the Sir Edward Spears quote at Compiegne in 1917: “[The conference] epitomizes the terrible disability from which democracies, even when fighting for their existence, are unable to free themselves.” What are the factors that contribute to democracies’ suicidal tendencies and how can we recognize and hedge against these vulnerabilities from a national security standpoint?

4. Political shrewdness, strategic catastrophe. Thorough and concise description of Adolph Hitler’s tendency to “sacrifice strategical goals for tactical successes” and the devastating path he inevitably led Germany down.

5. Centralize in crisis. Winston Churchill’s shrewd (and gradual) limiting of the decision-making process to himself and the chiefs of staff saved a democratic government from disaster. However, even Churchill could not resist the siren call to micromanagement. Great quote from Sir Alan Brooke: “The more you tell that man about the war, the more you hinder the winning of it.”

6. Juggle and maneuver. The last vignette is on Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his overall ability, though with some ambivalence along the way, to balance domestic political demands, public mood, international considerations and the actual execution of war.