War has always been a central feature of the way in which the nations of the world interact with one another. Throughout history, wars have both built and destroyed great nations. Although the conduct of war is considered to be the exclusive province of the military, its effects are felt by the entire population of a nation. When is war the best option? And how is that conclusion reached?

Clayton Newell proposes an orderly method for determining whether or not war is the most appropriate means of solving international disputes. Using as his base the five paragraph field order format used by the United States army, the author provides a logical way to make sense of the chaos of war. He suggests five questions which need to be addressed before a country's military leadership decides to use force in order to impose their will on another nation: What is the situation? What is the object of war? How will the war be conducted? How will the war be supported? And how will the war be controlled?

Thismethod for studying war will be familiar to serving officers and will be invaluable to those studying war or military history. Presenting the most logical way to look at war, The Framework of Operational Warfare will be of interest to anyone with an interest in the analysis and logistics of war.