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How to Think About Strategy
by Dave McIntyre

1. What is Strategy?

  • A plan to get what you are wiling to settle for, at a price you are willing to pay, from an active opponent, over time.
  • Strategy is a set of ideas conveyed by the leader, embodied in policies, and constantly reevaluated and changed as required.

2. The Core of Strategy:

  • A strategic concept of cause and effect.
  • If we do A, over time, then we will achieve B.
  • Establishing this strategic concept is the most important single step in crafting a strategy... and the most often overlooked.

3. The Challenge of Strategy

  • Obtaining victory from a living, thinking unwilling, opponent.
  • Strategy is interactive - not linear. It changes constantly.

4. Developing a Strategy

  • Conduct an analysis of the strategic situation
    • Establish Strategic Context - for all sides, examine the:
      • Geography; History; Culture; Religion; Power and balance of power; Organization of military and other government institutions
    • National Interests
    • Threats, Risks, and Opportunities
    • National Goals
    • Assumptions
    • Strengths and weaknesses of Players (include resources available)
  • Develop Potential Strategic Concepts
    • Propose a strategic cause and effect relationship, considering all elements of national power
  • Develop Strategic Concepts into Strategic Options
    • Potential actions and anticipated results for each
    • "We will do X in order to achieve Y."
    • "What will happen next?"
  • Examine each potential course of action. Is it:
    • Adequate?
    • Feasible?
    • Acceptable?
  • Select Strategy
  • Operationalize Strategy
  • Reevaluate constantly

5. Operationalizing a Strategy

  • This is popularly described as "Balancing Ways, Means and Ends."
  • Develop plans, policies and procedures to implement the specific strategy.
  • Again, consider all elements of power, and all instruments of government
    • Plans, policies and procedures should be coordinated across the government and with allies - interagency, joint, and combined.
    • This may require the development of a subordinate strategy for every agency, together with plans, policies and procedures for operationalizing that strategy. Examples:
      • DOD's National Military Strategy should flow from the President's National Security Strategy.
      • A regional Commander-in-Chief's Theater Strategy should flow from the National Military Strategy.
  • As the situation changes, a strategist must constantly adjust one or more of the 3 components of strategy:
    • Identify and apply additional means;
    • Identify and apply new ways; or
    • Adjust the ends to something that can be accomplished with available ways and means.

6. When thinking about Strategy: remember,

  • Strategy is a plan that relates cause and effect over time.
  • Strategy is conducted against an active opponent.
  • The goal of strategy is always to achieve victory, defined as:
    • Getting what your are willing to settle for, at a price you are willing to pay
 
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