Topic > Financial Costs of War

Waging war is very expensive and expensive. As Sun Tzu notes in his book, In war operations, where there are in the field a thousand fast tanks, as many heavy tanks and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with enough provisions to transport a thousand, the expense at home and at the front, including the entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and the sums spent on chariots and armour, will total up to one thousand ounces of silver per day. This is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay This then ensures that countries, leaders and generals engaged in a war are ready to spend and expand spending accordingly to support the fight and consequently win. In the decade between September 11, 2001 and May 2, 2011, when Osama Bin Laden was killed by US forces, billions of dollars were spent to ensure the safety of Americans, as reported by Charles Riley on CNNMoney. Agencies were created and expanded with additional funding, thousands of employees hired to analyze intelligence in a single mission; stop terrorist attacks. The Department of Homeland Security spent $424 billion and employed an average of 216,000 people. The use of spiesAll warfare is based on deception, so what allows the wise ruler and the good general to strike and conquer and obtain things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge. This will save the army's energy and resources in movements. Plus, it's much easier to move around undetected in a smaller group, so the smaller the better. Sun Tzu recommends using spies to gather information and intelligence on the enemy's level of preparedness and any other plans and strategies the team intends to use on the battlefield. Intelligence gives generals who use spies an advantage over others. In modern warfare, states, institutions and rebel groups employ spies in intelligence gathering and analyzing it to achieve the desired outcome. In modern warfare, technology has been widely used to gather intelligence. Includes use of photographic and satellite intelligence. With the advent of aerial photography during World War I, the use of photographs to provide accurate overviews of a battlefield, moving troops, and assets such as factories and bridges became increasingly important. During World War II, specialized photo-reconnaissance aircraft entered service, often adapted versions of fighter or light attack aircraft that had the speed necessary to avoid pursuit and return safely with their precious photos. Again this intelligence source is far from perfect, as Operation Market Garden demonstrated, and countermeasures such as the fake units used in the preparation of the Normandy landings could easily deceive the overhead photos. During the Cold War a new generation of aerial photographic reconnaissance An aircraft was developed that was unarmed but used high speed like the SR-71 Blackbird or very high altitude like the U-2 spy plane to avoid being shot down. These planes flew very close to the enemy border and took photos from high altitude. These images would be very important to analyze the level of sophistication of an enemy. Electronic and Signal Intelligence This is the collection of data from the interception of not only radio signals but any type of electronic data. Modern technology can leak information that can be collected by specialized equipment. This type of intelligence includesalso known as "traffic analysis", in which the quantity rather than the content of radio transmissions is analyzed to provide clues to troop and/or vessel movements. Mobile phones form an integral part of modern Western society and have been used by terrorist cells to communicate, posing new challenges to security and intelligence services and further increasing the volume of data that can be intercepted as written by Dugdale (2007). Maintaining Alliances Sun Tzu clearly explains that a wise general knows armies that cannot be quarreled or fought with, roads not to be destroyed, and cities not to be demolished. When you find yourself in difficult country, don't camp. In the land where the highways intersect, join your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. (Art of War). This ensured that generals could obtain convenient and easy passages through cities and territories and obtain military support if necessary. In modern warfare, states have allies and form alliances for strategic reasons. For example, during the Cold War, alliances were formed between the countries and superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States of America. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created as a peacetime alliance between the United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, and Luxembourg on August 24, 1949. The purpose of this treaty was to ensure defense mutual and collective security of the accepted countries. The treaty's other purpose was to contain communism through the use of containment, a term that held that if Soviet expansion could be contained by responding to Soviet pressure and investigations as they occurred. This term was proposed by the US diplomat and Soviet expert George F. Kennan. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, for short (SEATO), was an alliance of nations that came together to fight the expansion of communism in Southeast Asia. This treaty was signed in Manila, Philippines on September 8, 1954. This organization was very similar to NATO. Members were the United States, Great Britain, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Australia, Pakistan and the Philippines. The members agree to defend each other from military attacks. In response to NATO, the Soviets created their own mutual military alliance. The alliance was called the Warsaw Pact and was formed on May 14, 1955. This agreement was between the Soviet Union, countries under Soviet influence, and East Germany. Proxy WarsIn terms of conceptualization, this could fall under alliance formation. However, in this case, the operation should be secret, so it is better to keep it independent of alliances. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu writes: In battle, there are no more than two methods of attack: the direct and the indirect; yet these two combined give rise to an infinite series of maneuvers. Sun Tzu therefore advises generals to employ any method possible, whether directly engaged in wars or indirectly, that is, by proxy but not exclusively. In proxy wars, two warring states that do not want to be seen or fight against each other could thus support the insurgents. engage through the supply of arms and weapons. They thus avoid direct conflict. In other cases, it is a state supporting a rebel against a government. For example; Nepalese Civil War (1996-2006) The Nepalese Civil War was fought between socialist renegades and patriotic monarchists. Up until this point, Nepal had been one government, with the lord holding total power. However, Maoist agitators managed to oust the government and, alongside it, the hierarchical framework of Nepal. Theirbelief system was exactly the opposite and they could therefore regain control. As a group of Maoist comrades, they were vigorously supported by China. Since India is the main real Asian power adversary of China, India supported the government. Since Pakistan and India detest each other, Pakistan supported the socialist revolutionaries. Truly minor communal warfare was used by royal powers to settle old scores. Yugoslav Wars (1991 – 2001) The Yugoslav Wars were a progression of wars that saw the separation of a nation called Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia included what we currently know as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and several countries. It was a comradely tyranny, but it could not prevent Yugoslavia from destroying itself. It was the largest clash in Europe since the Second World War. Wars were truly idealworld forces to exploit. NATO has clearly supported the radical rallies, as they continually hope to weaken socialist fascisms. Furthermore, Russia clearly began to support the Yugoslav government. Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) The Afghan Civil War is seen as Russia's conflict in Vietnam. Afghanistan was for some time controlled by the Soviet Union, which introduced a socialist government there. However, when the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, rebel groups immediately tested the administration's capacity. The Taliban insurgencies eventually figured out how to oust their comrades and manage and structure their own administration. The United States supported the dissident powers and the Soviet Union supported the communists for obvious reasons. From many points of view this is the best case of intermediary war. It also shows us that the enemy of our enemy is generally not our comrade since those same agitators that America supported were eventually associated with the 9/11 attack. Observance of the Factors of War The art of war, therefore, is governed by five constant factors, which must be taken into account in one's deliberations when attempting to determine the conditions existing in the field. These are:The Moral LawHeavenEarthThe CommanderMethod and Discipline.The United States Department of Defense introduced the concept of "battlespace" as an integrated information management of all significant factors affecting the combat operations of the armed forces for the military theater of operations, including information, air, land, sea and space. It includes the environment, factors, and conditions that must be understood to successfully apply combat power, protect the force, or complete the mission. This includes enemy and friendly forces; structures, weather conditions and terrain within operational areas and areas of interest. Use of Terrain Sun Tzu notes terrain types ranging from accessible terrain, intricate terrain, timed terrain, narrow passages, steep heights, and positions at a great distance from the enemy. Land leverage occurs when military faculty favor an enemy by using, or essentially ignoring, the landscape around them. Mountains, for example, can close off certain regions, making it unnecessary to station troops in out-of-reach territories, such as woods and forests. Dense vegetation can camouflage strategic developments, for example by placing traps. Height itself is perhaps the most surely understood case of landscape advantage, with gravity attempting to advantage the higher part. While arguing that a scenic advantage is a vital thought for today's leaders, especially those occupied with conventional warfare tactics and strategies, for example, guerrilla warfare. For example, as reported in the Star Newspaper, the reports-.