What is War and Why Does it Matter?

The U.S. Army and the other Armed Services exist to fight and win America's wars. In the current operational environment, the definition of "fighting and winning America's wars" is the subject of intense debate. In its ongoing effort to stimulate intellectual discourse, to foster informed policymaking processes, and to develop effective U.S. strategy in the post-September 11 world, the U.S. Army War College will host its 21st Annual Strategy Conference from April 6-8, 2010. Many of the world's foremost experts on the changing nature of war will attend and participate in this year's conference titled, "Defining War for the 21st Century," with the goal of clarifying the issues, outlining the debates, and generating strategic options.

The keynote speaker for this year's conference is Gen (R) Anthony Zinni, USMC, and the tentative agenda includes five panels that will debate the essence of the following questions for the purpose of "Defining War for the 21st Century:"

- Why does it matter how we define war?

- How does a nation know it is at war?

- Will all "wars" have discernable start and end points, or will some "wars" have no definable end?

- What are the political and social implications when the political elite and general polity differ in their interpretations?

- What are the dangers of misusing or overusing the "war" label?

- Must a new "theory of war" be developed?

- What are the dimensions of war -- unrestricted war, lawfare, hybrid war, cold war, asymmetric war, cyber war?

- What are the challenges in defining victory?

View the program and register at the 21st Annual Strategy Conference web page.