News

2022-09-01

Military Power is the Embodiment of the Overall Power of the Nation

The concept of military power is not limited to the physical aspect, which includes military equipment, technological capabilities and combat readiness of armies. It also includes the moral effect and yield of such power, especially its impact on the conduct of others or the pressure it applies to them to adopt a certain behaviour towards a particular issue. In other words, the threat to use military force may have the same desired effect in case it is used.

This may explain the great powers’ keenness to make announcements from time to time about having a sophisticated system of weapons, with the aim of enhancing the credibility of their deterrence strategy against rival countries. The former U.S. President Donald Trump once said that his country does not want to use its most powerful weapon in the world; it would be enough for them to own it.

Military force is part of the means of hard power that countries employ to attain the goals of their foreign policy, especially in foreign conflicts and crises management. This was evident during the Cold War era, when the arms race between the United States and the former Soviet Union was the basis of mutual deterrence between them. Military force is still now the most important tool for implementing the foreign policy of the major and regional powers.

Although modern defence theories indicate that military power cannot have full impact in isolation from other aspects of power, especially technological, economic, political and cultural aspects. Developments and data in the regional and international environments over the past years clearly indicate that military power still constitutes the main mainstay of a nation’s comprehensive power and political weight in the international order. This would take us back to the realistic theory in international relations, which considers military force as the cornerstone of the comprehensive strength of states. As such, nations seek to maximise their military power, as it is the most important means to achieve their national interests.

Many national security and strategy experts agree that military power still constitutes the main factor for maximising the comprehensive power of countries and the optimal performance to enhance their political influence in the international order.

On the one hand, it provides an environment that guarantees for countries growth and development in other fields. On the other, it supports the foreign policy of countries, reinforces their positions on various issues and imparts on them credibility, influence and effectiveness. An example of this is the military deterrence strategy adopted by the U.S. towards some regional powers, which limited their moves, since they knew that any hostile behaviour from their side would be met with a military endgame.

Military power and the associated advanced defence industries and state-of-the-art technical environment constitute the most important components of the comprehensive strength of any country. They not only enhance the deterrence of the armed forces, but also help support the economies of countries and boost development of their human resources and technological capabilities.

Comments () Views (639 ) Print

Send To Friend