Chapter 12

Value Strategy and the Strategic Future

by Hugh M. Lewis

The value strategies have not been generally recognized as strategy by the collective strategic mind. While alone not usually professing the se of direct force or of power, they have frequently served to justify periods of intense bloodletting and have been the source of great concentrations of political power. Recognized as value systems, they have usually not been ascribed to the nature of strategy by their practitioners. They are the peacetime strategies of manipulating the diverse values of living to control the human variable. There exists four distinguishable elementary value strategies. These are economic strategy, relying on the manipulation of material value as the fundamental means of achieving control, ideological strategy depending on the manipulation of human ignorance, emotion, beliefs and prejudices as the basis of control, social strategy which depends on the manipulation of value of human interrelationships as the primary basis of control, and the strategy of scientific creativity based on the value of human rationality, intelligence and intuitive creativity to change and control the human environment. The strategy of scientific creativity is founded primarily on the discovery and utilization of objective truth. Unlike power strategies the evolution of value strategy has been detached from the evolution of force strategy except in an indirect secondary sense. From the first its elementary strategies have evolved simultaneously. None of these strategies have been successfully practices purely isolated and independent of the influences of one another. All are inextricably interdependent and occur in a variety of combinations and blends. Strategic attention has been focused on value strategy only infrequently, inadvertently or of secondary importance as they are related to force and power strategies. It has generally failed to fully comprehend the depth of potential involved in value strategies. Clear understanding is obscured by the delicacy of the interrelationships involved. Its subtlety has hidden the fact that these strategies have in a cumulative manner produced in sum results more important to human civilization than even the most decisive instance of force strategy or successful implementation of power strategy. The elementary basis of value strategy rests in human nature. Understanding of the soul from which originates all valuations of life. Control of these elementary components of all men has often yielded more power than any other type of weapon. They rely on no guns nor on laws but on the power of the mind. They control behavior not by threat of negative punishment but by virtue of positive promise and reward which makes these strategies at the same time much more attractive and much less interesting. They are more economical and yield much greater long term success than do any force or power strategy.

The evolution of economic strategy has been a steady improvement of humanity's material condition toward an industrial system of increased automation, increasing gross energy expenditure and greater acquisition of wealth reaped from technological advancement. It has witnessed the change of humanity from a foraging nomadic hunter to a stable agricultural husbandry man, tied to the elements, to the relative freedom, mobility and lonely transience of a materialistic urbanite. Even so the majority of the world's population remains economically stagnate in a condition of abject pre-industrial poverty, self perpetuating condition influenced by factors of warfare disproportionate military economic wastage by political games and greedy corruption, by religion and ignorance fostered illusions by an exponentially increasing population due to a high birth rate in the face of prospects of an early death by uncontrolled disease and malnutrition. For this majority of humanity the future offers no hope of solution unless the wealthier people's relent from their selfish military practices and share appropriate physical and nonphysical assistance to these people while these people seek to help themselves. The situation of the third world nations cannot be solved by the easy economic strategies of the post industrialized nations.

In the face of the steady improvement of the economic condition of humanity there is a constant tendency for the control of wealth to centralize in concentration within the social system, to aggregate at the apex of social authority, acquiring material control over the conditions of the constituent individual. Communist theory assumes this centralization to be a natural and inevitable tendency of all socio-economic systems, and believe all other social functions are dependent on and lead to economic centralization, forming the foundations of a just social system. According to communist theory all beliefs of personal wealth and the rights of individual sovereignty are but selfish ambitions reflecting an origin of economic poverty and competition persisting in the modern human as malignant and obsolete delusion which must be eradicated. Any and all efforts at resisting the centralization of wealth will inevitably fail. The true communist is obligated by his pure social conscience to facilitate the inevitable evolution communism by committing his life completely to social revolution. When the material condition of humanity improves under communist strategy the individual economic selfishness and social imperfections arising from private ownership will supposedly disappear.

Communist strategy has implications far greater than the centralization of economic wealth and the development of a classless society. Human imperfection afflicts this strategy as much as any other type of strategy. Centralization leads to an unbalanced over centralization not only of wealth but of power control and force predominance. Such a resultant social system becomes acquisitive of national sovereignty to the sacrifice of individual human fulfillment. It becomes stagnate and top heavy in administration, institution, suppressing the vitality of human initiative and incentive for self improvement, a prerequisite motivation of individual autonomy, independence and material freedom and wealth. The insect like conformity and centralized social organization imposed by communist theory on the individual constituent valuations to insure a more equitable distribution of economic commonwealth, has proven not to be the most efficient economic model for human nature. Whatever political or military implications may be found in communist theory, it remains fundamentally an economic strategy.

On the other hand, there are organized efforts to resist and negate the tendency towards centralization of material control, placing a maximum value on individual material fulfillment, independence, initiative and a minimum value on centralization. Such an economic system achieves a vitality of economic growth through free enterprise and advancement through modernization of the means of production. Human imperfection afflicts this economic strategy also as dishonesty, disloyalty and crime destroys the social fabric of cohesion and discipline. Sub-centralization of the control of wealth occur inspite restrictions which fragments and detracts from comprehensive coordination and inhibits individual initiative, leading to ineffective power control and tardy response in the direction of force, threatening the security of the system and its constituents. Economics remains a determinant of and a determiner of social specialization, class and political control. Future value strategy rests not so much in the advancement of material wealth but in its qualitative human valuation.

Neither economic strategy alone is comprehensive enough to be a successful grand strategy of world economic control and progress. Though both are in conflict on theoretical premises, their limitations and weaknesses are derived from a common origin of human imperfection, reflected in the operational impurities of either type of system and limiting their eventual unified application and verification. What has not been theoretically defined but what has been gradually occurring in reality is an operational blending of practice of both strategies resulting in successful and practical, if a theoretical compromise strategy. Economic theorization and strategic philosophy must catch up with economic modernization and offer a new alternative integrated version of economic theory and strategy. In practice absolute communism overcomes its limitations by allowing a minimum of individual economic determination in order to maintain a viable system. Free enterprise recognizes its fallacious precepts in practice by granting a minimum necessary centralization of control of economic determination. No comprehensive strategy has yet been formulated in theory based on the context of this practical and theoretical integration, extrapolating its trend into the future of pending world economic crisis. Such a strategy would need to attain a golden mean between centralization and decentralization of control of material wealth, accepting and wording around the inevitability of the influence of human imperfection. Such an economic strategy must be aimed not only at the material displacement of control but also at the improvement of human valuation and the eradication of imperfection. An economic grand strategy ignoring this nonphysical precept must inevitably fail to achieve final success. The future of economic strategy promises a steady increase of potential economic wealth coupled with a growing realization of political theoretical and geographical limitations imposed by present operational doctrines and confinement on an over population to the bounds of the earth. As the earth's limited resources are being used and its natural ecology altered, new and improved resources and ecological systems must be formulated and found. Eventually humanity must break the confinement of the earth and seek the freedom and wealth of outer space. Such an effort will require increased economic centralization leading to subsequent increased economic decentralization within an organizational structure of increasing size and complexity.

While economic strategy is founded on the valuation and control of material wealth ideological strategy is founded on the valuation and control of the nonmaterial spiritual wealth. It seeks universal determination by creating and reinforcing in the individual and in the social system, in the collective social mind, controllable beliefs and behavior which results by patterning a superego in the individual, by manipulating the individual's cognitive and normative needs, by dictating appropriate social behavior and social morality, by programming the mind around ignorance, illusion, truth and reality. Ideological strategy is a master plan of behavior modification. Illusions collectively believed in by a social system become a collective reality. Controlled and predicted ideologies results in controllable and predictable collective behavior. The degree of control attainable is evidenced by the past history of religious organizations in the acquisition of great material wealth and political control over many people, and the utilization of destructive force in the promotion of its faith and programs. It is evidenced by the necessity of modern political governments to separate the church from the state or by earnest persecution of religion, in order to maintain secure control over the constituents. Ideological strategy is primarily religious in character, promising its believers the destiny of a better world or of a coming paradise or of a hell or holocaust for non-believers, either in this world or after death, yet ideological strategy has its economic, political, military, social, philosophical, cultural and scientific elements and forms of expression. Valuation in the human and in the system never occurs in a vacuum and occur to a finite even if immeasurable degree. In order to be successful a value strategy must inevitably displace another one, and the loss of one will signal the substitution by another. Its influence is evidenced by the persistence of religious valuation within a changing social environment despite persecution and the ever widening discrepancy between what is preached and what occurs in reality. If you can control a person's thoughts you can control his subsequent actions in any field of endeavor.

All religions are based on the belief of subjects in its essential veracity and rely on continuing adherence by its constituency to its standards of thought and behavior. If an ideology is founded on ignorance, lies or on erroneous precepts, these essential weakness must inevitably come into conflict with the reality of the evolution of the social environment leading eventually to the demise of the doctrine. To be successful religious strategy must be founded on the precepts of truth. Religion has evolved from a pantheistic universe of supra natural causation, to a monotheistic universe of divine determination by an omniscient and omnipotent anthropomorphic deity. The efficacy of scientific methodology in divining objective truth has undermined the theoretical foundations of ideological strategy, but does not adequately substitute the resulting vacuum with any philosophical precepts. Human faith is gradually being subverted in an admixture of ideological faith without comprehensive continuity and often in conflict. Science is fundamentally atheistic but not necessarily without an ideology not a possible religion. The human need for a deterministic faith and collective ideology has not been recognized in theory but has been implemented in various methodologies. Ideology is a reflection of human perspectives about himself and his universe. In it founded on faith in the truth, not on its continuing ignorance.

Eastern religion tend to be more of a philosophical nature stressing acquiescence to fate and inward fulfillment by spiritual peace. Western occidental ideologies tend to be of a practical nature, stressing outward determination and obedience. These general differences manifest themselves in biases and in direction of human behavior. While both are limited by the degree of efficacy and applicability, neither general type can achieve eventual world domination. While ideology and religious doctrine must inevitably adjust to the changing human needs, the need for faith in a common collective doctrine remains unchanged. To be successful ideological strategy must be founded on truth and fulfillment of these individual and common human requirements. It must blend philosophical truth with practical objective reality. It must include within its framework the moral similarities found in most religious doctrines while transcending the limitations and weaknesses, the cultural relativity of each. It must be truly comprehensive. It must aim more toward satisfaction of the human individual natural needs and behavior, instead of the human behavior necessarily being modified to air the dogma of ideological premises. It must incorporate and integrate scientific truth into its philosophical and ideological precepts, integrating with this fulfillment of inner happiness and an interpretation of social values founded on common humanitarianism, the value of peace, love, trust and tolerance which may be found in any religious ideology. It must integrate and fit successfully to enable coexistence with any religion of the world. It must be capable of reaching every human being. It must evolve from the monotheistic conception of the universe toward a more realistic metaphysical conception.

Social strategy is founded on the manipulation of the human valuation of social conformity, interrelationships and forms of social expression as the basis of control, of attaining power through the human tendency to collect as a social animal and the necessity for human interrelationships for reproduction and regeneration of the population. Its evolution has been toward conformity of the constituents to patterns of social standards and behavior in which any deviation from the norm may be suspect as a threat to the continuing security of the pattern. There exists a social hierarchy, a class system founded on esteem, wealth, power and profession. A distinctive pecking order by which the best and the most distinctive social character traits are guaranteed perpetuation. Conformity and hierarchy inculcated in the constituent's appetites and aversions, creating standards of social success and developing a social character of distinct behavior patterns. Despite persistence of social prejudice and enforced cultural insulation there is a natural human tendency for intercultural reproduction and integration which is becoming gradually more evident in the modern world. There is a natural attraction for the strange and the exotic.

The social system centers around the reproduction and the marital institution, by which it perpetuates and survives. Racism is a profound and extreme expression of social strategy. Racism forms to insure racial uniformity by which social standards can be reinforced and maintained. The depth of influence of racism on the cultural character is unfathomable, resulting in a most subtle slanting toward segregation or integration of racial differences. Cultural differences are derived from and lead to racism. It is the purpose of every family, culture and race to blossom into the most successful and widest possible proportions to seek social fulfillment. Less successful cultures tend to have a higher birth rate as a form of security and against hardships and as a form of future insurance. Cultures with a prolific birth rate tends toward integration or supplanting of wealthier more successful races, seeking to dominate the general pool and to inherit the apparatus of the social system. The successful culture recognize the threat of integration and direct efforts toward cultural insulation, projecting a stereotype attitude onto the out groups and cultures. Racism leads to genocide of out races and cultures and result in a continuous inbreeding that can eventually result in harmful genetic stagnation. Nazi ideology best exemplifies a definite racist strategy, to create a pure "superhuman" race necessitating the extermination of inferior races and cultures. If one doubts the conscious objectivity or the operational reality of social strategy one does not have to investigate far back into history to find ample evidence of its influence on human heritage.

Some social strategies maximize conformity and class distinction, resulting in an over centralized social system with nonfunctional values and a tendency toward militarism and religious fanaticism. The tendency is toward social uniformity and conformity and the emergence of class distinctions by which the system becomes encrusted with a stagnate gene pool, traditions and outmoded social dogmas. This tendency must be consciously resisted to prevent social stratification. Communism claims that by abolishing private property there would be a classless society yet this ideal has been unrealizable due to the same human imperfection on which power is derived. Class distinctions inevitably emerge. Some social strategies minimize social conformity, stressing individual fulfillment and resulting in a highly integrative diverse and satisfying to most of its constituents.

Successful social strategy must work on the limit of human imperfection minimizing the effects of social stratification, cultural insulation and racism. Social strategy is rarely recognized as such but is practiced in every culture. Social strategy must assure a minimum level of social cohesion and discipline. Social systems develop a collective morality which leads to prejudicial persecutions if out groups. Differences between social strategies often lead to warfare. The evolution of social strategy is toward increased integration and blending of cultural values throughout the world, transcending any cultural and national barriers. Racial and cultural integration superimposes different social and cultural values systems resulting in a blending of both healthy and unhealthy patterns and the emergence of new cultures. The fully integrated worldwide human culture is the only true objective of a successful social strategy.

The strategy of scientific creativity derives power from human intelligence and dynamic creativity objectively in the form of scientific methodology and subjectively in the form of artistic expressionism applied to the reality of the human condition. Scientific creativity might at first seem to be a self contradictory term, as science and human creativity have too long been dichotomized as separate mostly unrelated fields of human endeavor. Yet in truth they are very intimately and inextricably related and interdependent on each other for the evolution of scientific theory and knowledge, discovery of truth and the evolution of technological civilization of humanity. It is the most transcendent form of strategy occurring, transcending cultural, racial, ideological, economic, political and military barriers and underlying the continuing evolution of each of the other elemental strategies. It has been the most successful and the least recognized form of strategy, stimulating the evolution of civilization and deterministically influencing all other forms of strategy. The strategy gains power from scientific method, intelligence and the dynamic nebulous human trait of creativity. While being the most operationally practical, it is philosophically the least well defined of the strategies. It suffers from a lack of comprehensive coordination of far-sighted orientation without any long range direction of theoretical objectivity. Its realization has mostly been the result of isolated contributions of lone individuals and small groups working mostly independent on military budgets for technological applications is only evidence of the degree of militarism affecting the pathological values of society. Scientific creativity is not dependent on militarism for its applications, rather vice versa. The effort and economic resources spent on military oriented endeavors could be easily and more profitably vented into more resourceful and more productive areas of human living especially in the field of scientific creativity outside military control. It is beyond the scope of this book to do justice to describing the strategy of scientific creativity. It would require another book. Suffice it to say that the basic theory and philosophical premises of this strategy is antithetical to military strategy in general, being life optimistic in orientation instead of death pessimistic in its form of expression of control of human will. The results of the strategy of scientific creativity are relatively permanent and beneficial to humanity in spite of many seemingly insurmountable setbacks. The results of military strategy is mostly malevolent to the human condition and temporary in its effects. Scientific creativity underlies the central thesis of this work and forms a powerful theory once it is comprehensively discerned and applied. Any strategy of the future must be founded first and foremost on the strategy of scientific creativity if it is to achieve success.

The action follows the thought. Between the two there is often a wide gap that must be bridged. The bridges between the nonphysical and the physical realities are becoming increasingly limited while the gap is becoming ever wider. Efforts have been disconcerted. Most of the strategic limitations arise from the failure to attempt comprehension of the human element of imperfection and the means of overcoming this seemingly insurmountable problem. A comprehensive strategy has yet to be created and implemented. In the final analysis human destiny will be determined not so much by the system and its weaponry but by individual leadership, character and will power.

Failure to adequately assess the proper importance of these elementary strategies will inevitably result in the failure of all human endeavor. While nuclear stalemate signals the dead end of force strategy, alternative directions must be sought and taken. Yet such a change in a fundamental strategic emphasis would run so drastically counter to most of what has so far been accomplished as to make it extremely difficult if not impossible. It would entail the critical reevaluation of our most strongly held beliefs, a reorientation of our most habitual and common behavior patterns and the redevelopment of our most highly held purposes and objectives. It would entail an overpowering self criticism and an unparalleled need for self sacrifice and self fulfillment. In the perspective of past human character such an accomplishment would seem possible only if wrought with the most gradual transition and compromise of ideology to the stagnation of mediocrity.

The bible has remained a profound and persistent influence on human thinking. Once its mysticism and superstition is sifted out, if one is capable of reading in between the lines, it offers profound insight into human nature, humanity and its future. Armageddon symbolizes not so much a final passing of judgment on humanity, but is a statement on the condition of human fate, that all success is temporary, that at the end of every life is death, that every civilization will decay and collapse, after which hardship and difficulty inevitably follows.

There exists a sense of underlying unity, a recurrent theme of evolution and revolution of human aggression, of warfare, of strategy and of civilization. There is also a recurrent cause and effect relationship. This evolutionary cause and effect describes a transcendent pyramidal hierarchy of science to technology to social cohesion to political to military subordination to technological advancement of force potential to destruction. This closed feedback loop of evolutionary trending, closing at technology of which scientific creativity is the input and destruction is an output describes a transcending evolutionary spiral. It may be expressed as the formula STCPMTD.

Human history has been the evolution of technological civilization and of militarism. Civilization has a complex meaning, connoting the mainstream of humanity and all its trappings, its mediocrity in all it volume and momentum despite setbacks or advancements, traveling casually along a set course of evolutionary development. This development has been one of cyclical regeneration, one of birth, growth, maturation, decay, death and regeneration. Regeneration has been an inevitable and vital process allowing viability and transcendence of the new over the stagnation of the old. This regeneration has been reverberating and resonating, smaller cycles occurring simultaneously within larger ones in a gradual and rigidly continuous and intermittent process. There are also discernible counter processes of cyclical degeneration, but from the comprehensive standpoint the overall process is one of progressive regeneration.

Civilization is bound on this evolutionary course of cyclic regeneration. Despite all efforts of adjustment to the otherwise, this course remains unalterable. Humanity remains bound on a course to an Armageddon. Man will use his power he has attained in warfare against himself. The destruction and death will be unprecedented, yet civilization will survive this initial holocaust, being left to start over again. When it will happen is impossible to predict, probably sooner than expected. It is important only to know that it will happen. This prediction is grim but realistic. It is sad but it is also an honest one.

Armageddon will happen but it will not necessarily signal the end of civilization. Humanity is rapidly approaching a period of critical decision about his destiny. After the initial nuclear holocaust the survivors will be left with picking up the pieces and starting on a fresh strategic course. The initial nuclear holocaust will either overpass man's limitations of acceptance for death, terror and destruction so that humanity will deist in all further war making efforts and strive to make its future a peaceful one or that human tolerance for suffering will prove virtually unlimited, humanity becoming more and more immune so that the future is just holocaust after holocaust until civilization is no more. It is then that humanity will be faced with a choice between learning from his mistakes to build a better world without war, or to reject his mistakes and be bound on a course of virtual extinction of his race as an unsuccessful species. Humanity is reaching maturity faced with a new responsibility of choosing between being masters of the world or of being slaves of his system, a case of over specialization.

The time for this critical decision is not yet ripe. It is still forthcoming. Any premature one will be fruitless and wasted. The system with all its imperfections assumes a momentum and vitality of its own. It is on its own course of strategic determination despite the efforts of individuals to alter its fate. The individual alone is impotent and powerless to critically influence the system. It will only be when the weaknesses of the system and its strategic limitations become so disproportionately manifest, when the system is inevitably destroys itself that the time for decision will have come. Then only be a collective unity of strategic effort by everyone will the new system be an altered and improved one. Nevertheless we must start laying the foundations for this concerted effort with all haste in our collective strategic mind. Strategy must plan beyond holocaust to improving the subsequent peace in order to be successful. These foundations must begin with conceptual unity before any kind of operational unity can be achieved in the subsequent execution. Humanity's past track record has been a poor testament to its future performance. Human imperfection casts a seemingly insurmountable and doubtful foreboding shadow on the future. The choice is both difficult and simple. It is a choice life or death. Only the positive entity of hope shines amidst the dark forces of the future.

Yet the decision must and will be made, either by passive acceptance, apathy and reneging of individual responsibility, or by active resistance, acceptance of responsibility and applied cooperative effort. Humanity's most dangerous threat is its enemy from within and its unrealistic fears. Once these threats are overcome, all external problems are easily solvable. The current trend is toward further complication of humanity's strategic problems and the direction of his present strategic efforts is leading to a dead end. To solve further problems humanity must achieve a comprehensive unity of effort and understanding based on a comprehensive elementary grand strategy that transcends the limitations of all the elementary strategies existing and which blends the efficacy of each. Such a strategy must ultimately be based on leadership. Humanity must be ready to critically reevaluate his past positions and strategy and be willing to initiate radical reforms to his system, sometimes completely reversing past trends. The crucial problem of strategy of the future will not rest so much in the increase of destructive force potential, but ultimately on the final valuation of the human element in all strategy. The untapped potential within the individual is the key to humanity's future. Although warfare is inevitable future strategy must seek to minimize its adverse affects while maximizing the benefits of the evolution of civilization. Only through world unity, united toward a world objective of permanent peace and the progress of technological civilization, can world peace be achieved. Strategy must plan decisively for a world without war.

There exists an intangible sense of discrepancy between what the proclaimed leaders of the system have preached, an all pervasive ambiguity, and the actual operational reality. It is based on a vague feeling of dissatisfaction and discouragement. Judgment is based on a balancing between what is said and dome and what is left unsaid and undone. True justice achieves a perfect balance. This truth is impossible in a world of human imperfection. Whole truth in such a world is unobtainable. It is a world only of half truths. Yet these half truths are all that humanity has with which to solve its problems. Solution to the future problems is neither impossible not impractical. Clear resolution of the problem is half of the difficulty. Neither super normal intelligence nor unusual talent are required for such clarity of resolution. Any individual under the right circumstances can formulate alternative solutions. Understanding the problem clearly is half of its solution.

Most humans are too caught up in the day to day struggle, too involved in everyday business affairs to take the time out necessary to arrive at any decisive conclusions. Most people do not even have the motivation to attempt it. It requires plenty of idle time and plenty of motivation achieved through a perseveration of pacing contemplation in a relaxed environment. If all people could and would make the time remarkable strategic results would be achievable. Even if the unity of effort were achieved and its strategic results successful, the success would still be wanting, imperfection leveling it to human mediocrity. Once our perceived problems are solved humanity will find itself in a totally new situation amidst a multitude of new and complex problems. But such is the fate of strategic determination--achieving vitality in approaching goals rather than in the success itself. The effort must never be left to stagnate. Without challenge there is no meaning. Such is the beauty of being human, true perfection is sterile.

In the final analysis the problem of strategic future resolves itself into the improvement of leadership, an often misinterpreted and ill used word. Morale is a nonsensical enigma reflecting a non-existent system. It is an excuse for leadership, a poor substitute at best. Morale is generally recognized as a standard for measurement, but there exists no quantitative physical measurements for morale. It is the qualitative opinion of the commander's viewpoint, subject to all the frailties as any other form of command judgment. It reflects a dominant-submissive relationship, of an authoritarian psychology prevalent in the military system. Raising morale often connotes raising the commander's expectations, his standards of measurement--a tightening up of the system emphasizing pleasing the commander rather than improving efficiency. Low morale connoted a dissatisfied commander a view of human personnel as inferior subhuman specimens to be manipulated. If anything low morale reflects a shirking of responsibility of leadership, a responsibility which starts at the top and not at the bottom. The problem of low morale is not a problem at all but only unnecessary ambiguity. The real problem is leadership, a two way, nebulous and profound human quality. It is a problem afflicting the lowest ranks as well as the highest pinnacle of authority, greater comprehension of which will facilitate and resolve the problem of improving leadership.

Whole volumes may be filled by a discussion of the nature of leadership. It has been the story of human history. It remains an ill defined and abused quality defying attempts at discernment. Leadership remains an art, not a science, and as such has its roots in fundamental human creativity. Leadership requires creative expression. It exists in a vacuum, framed by the things all about it but itself lacking the proper direct semantic definition. One truth is undeniable. Leadership is a reality existing not as a figment of the imagination but with an operating context. True leadership is often disguised beneath a hypocritical façade of human imperfection. Command and leadership are not synonymous. Command provides the structure or vessel of authority which leadership must fill. Command must reflect the systems imperfections. It varies with individual style. Leadership must overcome these imperfections. It is an independent quality which is the same for all humans. Without leadership, command is empty arrogance. Leadership is the humility of command. Without the structure provided by the individuality of the commander leadership is a formless and useless quality.

The traits of leadership are courage, humility, magnanimity, independence, solitude, creativity, technical proficiency, self discipline, initiative, intuitiveness, open mindedness, social cohesiveness, solidarity of character and stamina of personality. Leadership is an inter-human gift of human experience--the price of the social system, a promise for the future. Without the spirit of sacrifice it is an empty gift which is like an empty glass, visible to clear perception but less so to confused obscurity of mind. In its emptiness it is hypocrisy. The spirit of sacrifice is not only the essence of selfless giving, but also a balancing of self fulfillment. Leadership is a two way exchange and interlocks the entire human system with solidarity. Successful leadership is like a lubricant, harmonizing the working productivity of the system. A failure of leadership results in a discordant noise reverberating throughout the system, which instead of diminishing grows out of all proportion, to continuing useless sacrifice and greedy selfishness. Empty leadership created a debt which must eventually be paid. Successful leadership fills this debt before it is passed on.

Necessary to a full comprehension of leadership is an understanding of discipline--the very delicate science of leadership. Often encountered is the attitude that the recipient of discipline in the authoritarian system is simultaneously a dichotomy of irresponsible, untrustworthy inferiority and a self deterministic expectation of model human behavior. The precept "to err is human, to forgive divine" is too frequently ignored in the administration of discipline. The only totally self deterministic and completely perfect entity is God. Man has proven to be a quite imperfect deformity, a product of determination by many diverse and often uncontrollable influences, psychological, sociological and material. A human is not a perfect subject for Pavolvian behavior modification experiments. Discipline must appeal always to the rationality of the human, it must make sense--and never just to the emotionality. Manipulation of motivational sources such as needs must not be exclusive of natural human normative needs, which in the final analysis cannot be manipulated but by inspiration through an appeal to rationality. People must be respected as individual human entities with a very special and unique identity and never just as a constituent part of the system. Determination of the will is human not divine. The science of discipline is founded on this important understanding. If misunderstood discipline becomes a defective weapon of destructive interference. If clearly practiced discipline will be a productive tool of creative interference. Discipline in being a function of leadership is a two way practice necessary throughout the human system. Discipline is not only reinforced externally in human interrelationships but is internally reinforced also. The system is the sum of its components. Self discipline must be practiced before inter-human discipline can be effectively achieved. Improving self discipline is a matter of improving leadership. Leadership cultivates a sense of self discipline throughout the system, minimizing the need for inter-human discipline. Ultimately any form of discipline in a social system is based on self discipline which is a trait of leadership.

Negative and positive discipline are the two hands of leadership. An abstract sense of proportion must be maintained. Neither type of discipline can be effectively supplanted by the other, but must complement each other. The two types must be judged by their realistic results. Superfluous discipline only lowers the standard. Discipline must be flexible as creative in application as any aspects of leadership or else it will soon become stagnate and its subjects will quickly adjust themselves to it and become immune to its effects. The past orientation of disciplines has of necessity been toward negative reinforcement. The necessity no longer exists yet the predominant orientation remains unjustifiably negative. This negative discipline has been self defeating for it tends to block future advancement permanently when relied on excessively. Negative discipline has been out of all proportion to its proper perspective while positive reinforcement has tended to be unrealistic and pretentious. While negative discipline is a cheaper and easier form the expense of positive discipline promises long term rewards and enhances the value of its acquisition. Improving positive discipline is the goal as well as the means of successful leadership. One axiom of leadership is fundamental, when faced with an alternative means of reinforcement positive discipline is always more effective than negative discipline. While negative discipline punishes a substandard behavior, only positive discipline raises the standards of behavior.

The alternating dichotomic persistence between authoritarian discipline of draconian measures and the soda fountain permissiveness reflects a general failure of leadership. They are derived from the same source of incompetence, where one form is found the other is probably not too far distant. True leadership is neither of these types but is autocratic, a blending between negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement, allowing a substandard excuses in no area of its responsibility. Negative discipline results in a debt that can be paid only by positive discipline. While negative discipline may prevent straying down the wrong paths of behavior, positive discipline leads down the right paths. Negative discipline blocks and goes nowhere. Positive discipline is free and has direction. Discipline must be timely and proportionate. Negative reinforcement can never be effectively foregone but it can be ineffectively over applied. Positive reinforcement must never become a broken promise, but must never be completely satisfying always promising improvement.

There has occurred an over centralization of leadership, creating a clumsy top heavy counter productive system. As an officer based system the military is inherently authoritarian and over centralized. The officer is only an imperfect human drawn from a limited human resource pool. The system functions around the officer and reflects his limitations. Instead of the needed task orientation, it is oriented on a non-existent presupposed human superiority leading to the stratification of a class system within the organization which detracts from its primary objective. It leads to the common practice of passing the buck of responsibility up the chain of command, training promoteability instead of decision making. Instead of becoming a lead taking organization it becomes a lead following organization, bureaucratized, stagnant and resisting changes. Where the officer does not and cannot function so too does the system fail to function properly. A subsequent decentralization leadership throughout the various aspects of the military system is needed before it can be improved. Grants of authority must be widened to a larger human resource pool based on improving the individual constituent to maximum proficiency. Instead of a stagnate institution it will become a viable organization. Leadership without human initiative results in an inhuman unresponsive stagnation of the system. The crux of leadership is initiative. The crux of initiative is intuition, a dynamic creativity of intelligence, a distinctive human trait. Successful leadership implies a development in acquisition of power and a dynamic responsiveness. It implies a generalized multiplication instead of a specialized division of talent, a closer unity and enhanced communication rather than widening divergence and disquieting discordance. Inadequate humanization of the system leads to dehumanization of its constituents, an unnatural state of being. Failure of leadership dehumanized, devalues and destroys. Successful leadership humanizes, improves and creates. To be successful a strategy of the future must be foremost a strategy of leadership.

There exists no elementary grand strategy that is comprehensively in its application, transcending the limitations of each type of elementary strategy either force, value or power, unifying strategic theory into a single body. National strategy is the most comprehensive yet attained, but it is limited by national boundaries and divergence of culture. Before any such strategy can exist we must place it in its proper perspective, the world perspective and its efficacy must not only be preached theoretically but tested operationally. Human imperfection remains the variable of all strategy. It will never be completely eradicated, but can only be minimized. All strategy is founded on controlling the unpredictability variable arising from imperfection. Force strategy will probably always be necessary to some extent. The nature of protracted human conflict is such that it includes an entire spectrum of pressure violence, destruction, military and nonmilitary, overt and covert. Regardless of the blend command must have at its disposal a variety of weapons and power that may be quickly formed in combination and decisively employed. Finally a common doctrine with a maximum decentralization of operational authority is required. The great paradox imposed by modern technology is that the advance of technology is producing more specialization of weapons, equipment and personnel, whereas the requirement for strategic flexibility demands more versatility of these elements. To be successful future force strategy must be an integrated and comprehensive strategy transcending the inherent limitations of the existing force strategies, similar to the strategy of flexible response, a flexible strategy with flexible tactics and logistics, decentralization, increased integration of command and greater speed and mobility.

Future conventional force strategy might be based on six phases of sequential dependence leading to decisive victory, in which if any one phase is unaccomplished the final outcome will be indecisive. None of the phases have distinct dividing lines, but precipitate almost simultaneously and proceed concurrently to their conclusions. To be successful strategy must rely on dispersed attack from alternative directions against one or several targets simultaneously or sequentially. Many directions of attack must be utilized in the initial phases. Dependence on any single direction will lead to failure. The first phase begins long before the outbreak of violence. It is reconnaissance and intelligence phase, in which as great as omniscience as possible is maintained before during and after operations in which every possible source of intelligence about opponents and relevant information is continually diagnosed and reevaluated with changing circumstances and comprehensively integrated. This also means counter intelligence operations to the fullest extent. This second phase is to cultivate a state of preconditioned shock in opponent's physical and nonphysical assets. This implies a cumulative drain of the enemy's strength, a gradual paralysis of mobility, in which the shock of defeat is far enough preconditioned to enable a first strike.

The third phase is initial petrifaction achieving indirection by surprise of enemy's forces leading to a depressed condition of shock of his forces along vital lines of communication, incapacitating a functional response. This initial phase employ the concept of a crippling first punch aimed at petrifaction of the vitality necessary for effective enemy stance, laying the enemy open for further attack and locking his mobility is to be accomplished in a sudden attack aimed at destroying his links, communications and mobility: bridges, communications, transportation networks, achieving stratification of his forces into fixed lines of defense.

The fourth phase of multiple penetration occurs when the primary faction has been effectively accomplished. Once the enemy is sufficiently weakened and immobilized rapid penetration of forces from as many alternative directions as possible, by vertical envelopment of airborne forces, by sea borne envelopment by amphibious forces, by triple envelopment bypassing pockets of resistance without leaving any solidified lines of communication which might become vulnerable to enemy counter attack. Penetration must follow the natural form of the enemy's lines of least resistance and least expectation, to the deepest possible extent on the rear or homeland.

The fifth phase of subsequent exploitation follows as rapidly as able on the heels of initial penetration, in which once the major lines of enemy resistance are effectively bypassed his vulnerable areas are further destroyed, petrifaction and penetration are achieved to the greatest possible extent. Every initial success is exploited as much as possible. Chances of enemy recovery in this phase are minimized but not yet impossible.

The final stage of consolidation in which the chances of enemy recovery are eliminated. Success so far achieved are consolidated. Petrifaction is complete. Dissolution of all unity and command of enemy resistance is imminent. The successful lines of penetration are further exploited to the point that enemy pockets of resistance are completely isolated and counterbalanced and eventually overwhelmed. The enemy nervous system, vital lines of communication are irreparably immobilized.

While these six phases are suggestive of a wartime condition the actual point at which peacetime preparation, the point of strategic plan before the process is initiated is indistinguishable, it may be immediate or telescoped over a long duration. No stage has a distinct start or finish. Only the amount of its success will be visible mark of occurrence of the signal to initiate the next phase of accomplishment. The aim of this strategy must be to achieve success as rapidly and decisively as possible utilizing a minimal amount of force, halting indecision and heavy bloodletting. It must be of a flexible and adjustable nature, capable of rapid and well coordinated response in adequate amount of force for each individual situation arising, employing neither too much force nor too little force, but achieving a perfect relevancy. It must be capable of meeting all levels of adversity occurring throughout the limited warfare spectrum.

The current doctrinal basis of counter value massive retaliation must necessarily be indecisive, while any strategy attempting to achieve a decisive success by counter force preemptive first strike will inevitably be destabilizing to the precarious balance of terror achieved on the basis of counter value strategy. Counter value is intrinsically indecisive. Its means are its ends and it does not therefore adequately include as its eventual end a promise of an improved peace. Counter value is the last resort of a desperate nation or of irrational leadership. The doctrinal basis must be altered. The whole aim of counter value must be minimized to the least possible proportions. This deterrence must be based on a guaranteed certitude of surviving a nuclear exchange to a subsequent peace of superior bargaining position over the opponent. Such a guarantee cannot be based on a strategy relying for its strength on any degree of uncertainty arising from human irrationality. Such uncertainty arises primarily from the threat of initiation of a strategic first strike. Inevitably involving a counter force strategy. A completely irrational spasmodic counter value first strike cannot ever be effectively deterred except by threat of retaliation in kind. Its effects can only be minimized by avoiding the collateral damage resulting from proximity of strategic forces to human population centers, by improving the active defense of anti-ballistic missiles and laser devices, and by improved passive defense of early warning systems and improved coordinated civil defense systems aimed at surviving nuclear holocaust.

In order to be decisively successful nuclear strategy must eliminate the threat of initiation by being based on a second strike stance avoiding the threat of escalation to counter value proportions by being a counter force doctrine. The survivability of strategic systems to a first preemptive strike must be guaranteed, enabling us rational and coordinated counter force response aimed at eliminating the enemy's central bargaining power, his remaining strategic forces and his means of recovery of nuclear weaponry, while the collateral damage would inflict more than adequate punishment for them to realize the mistake of nuclear warfare. It is a paradox that the most perfect counter force strategy available is by a pure defense, involving surviving and reducing the effects of enemy first strikes, assuming that counter value action is the most undesirable alternative. Most is not all of the enemy's bargaining power acquired over years of buildup is ineffectively consumed in a relatively brief period of time.

While in the present state of affairs counter value and counter force strategies are inextricably intertwined to the point of making it difficult to distinguish the success of either from the execution of the other, due to the proximity of strategic forces to human population centers, improving counter force stance and minimizing the danger of counter value effects can be accomplished in the same strategic direction of development. It requires removing all strategic nuclear forces from human population centers, by which remoteness they would also become least vulnerable to first strike. Ultimately the ideal arena for nuclear forces would be in deep space outside the earth's intermediate zones of space, in the spherical region of space between the diameter of the moon's orbit and the origin of the earth. In such a location an adequate and limited number of warheads can be effectively maintained targeted in a perpetual state of readiness, in wide dispersion to form an inaccessible and invulnerable deterrent to nuclear exchange. Such an arsenal would not need to be excessively over powerful and could be maintained independently over adequate periods of time following earthbound nuclear exchanges. Strategic emphasis must shift to the space arena instead of the present dangerous confinement of the earth. While not putting an end to the arms race, such an alternative direction of development would effectively reorient this arms race into the space arena, far removed from innocent victims, minimizing its human destruction to uniformed personnel.

While such a space strategy is long term, an intermediate shorter term strategy could be effectively implemented by removing all land based strategic systems first from inhabited land areas until they are completely removed from the land to be relocated on the high seas. Such as sea bond nuclear force would effectively reduce the threat of a counter value exchange while enhancing survivability of the forces by wider dispersion and greater invulnerability. The polar and coastal regions can become eventual concentrations of active nuclear defense systems.

While we must plan for future decisive warfare we must also plan decisively for peace. Such a plan for peace may be based either on a precarious balance of power which has in the past proved to be an indecisive policy for maintaining temporary peace frequently upset by wars involving ever increasing destruction. In the dace of the terror of the nuclear bomb, such a future balance of power must be relief upon in the future, at least to a minimum degree until other means of maintaining peace can be achieved. Nuclear deterrence may prove to be the necessary medicine for the ill health of past doctrines of balance of power. It will be impossible to halt nuclear proliferation throughout the world completely, it may be possible to balance the threat, slow down proliferation and prevent the occurrence of nuclear war. Any nation newly acquiring nuclear forces will inevitably adopt a counter value doctrine of massive retaliation. To be successful any future strategy must give as buffering latitude to the eventuality of nuclear proliferation, building around it and upon it instead of inspite it. Another means of maintaining world peace is by maintaining unquestionable quantitative and qualitative nuclear superiority. Acquisitive nations while being the first to resort to the use of force also respect better threats of retaliation. While not being able to be prevented from the use of force they may be effectively discouraged from its use by a superior power. Finally to achieve world peace by arms reduction, treaty and mutual resignation of the use of force by all nations, while being as yet an unrealistic ideal, the devolution of militarism is the best and most long range goal of any future strategy.

Power strategies are intermediate. They are concerted not only with the direction of force but also with the manipulation of values, as such power strategy achieves a form of transcendence over the other two types of strategy. Power is the primary determinant of control to which all forces and values must necessarily be subordinate. To achieve comprehensiveness any future strategy must be predicated on the exercise of power as the principle determinant of strategic control. The efficacy of the value strategy of scientific creativity is well proven to be the most successful strategy. The strategy of terrorism has likewise proven top be an unsuccessful strategy. Any future strategy must be a power strategy stressing a minimum on the value of terrorism and destructive force and a maximization on the value of scientific creativity to be successful.

The future power strategy must be an evolved form of national strategy in which all the biases and limitations of its present form are transcended. It must transcend nationalistic tendencies, boundaries and sovereignty. It must be comprehensive in the centralization of power in order to be effective. It must be founded and built around the inevitability and vitality of revolution. Power must be based on a maximization of the influence of value strategy. Future value strategy will hinge on the final valuation of humanity based on the quality of leadership and aimed at individual fulfillment. The destiny of humanity is still in the control of individual will power and creativity rather than relinquished to intangible control by the system and a handful of its automatons. Any reneging of responsibility is dangerous to the strategic future.

Humanity is in a period of transition, gradual and accelerating, subtle, confusing and critical. Any future strategy must be viable not just a limited theoretical system. It must ride the crest of the wave of revolution into the future, a living example of success. It must not only look feasible on paper but prove workable in reality, taking care to recognize the inherent limitations of the standards by which it is judged. Its focus must be on the individual, on improving the individual condition, not on manipulating the constituent in maintaining the standards of the system, an imaginary illusion existing only in the minds of its constituents by which conformity imposed and failure is justified, over dependent on the laurels of past success instead of on present confidence. Individual responsibility is too often relinquished to a system that suffocated strategy and initiative into stagnation. Instead of improving leadership, the system becomes a group of sycophants who instead of initiating constructive changes, confuse the ends with the means, the ideal with the real, and strive consciously and unconsciously in every manner to maintain the status quo imposed by the system. Every facet of life becomes a suffocated beneath this oppressiveness and can be easily sensed by anyone not too subjectively caught up in its grind. Viability is a feeling of success and verity attracting the belief of its constituents. Such a strategy will eventually become self destructive leading to a lack of success if not outright defeat. A strategy must be fundamentally practical, elementally comprehensible and operationally realistic. Humanity has created powerful tools. It becomes the question of who shall be the master, the human or the system.

Military Dimensions