Why We Should Fight: And Where Trump Went Wrong

Foreign Affairs  |  Kori Schake

President Donald Trump initiated military strikes against Iran in February 2026 without explicit congressional authorization, structured diplomacy, or a defined exit strategy, abandoning decades of American military planning principles. This operational pivot from the Powell Doctrine—conceived after the catastrophic 1983 Beirut barracks bombing—severed force deployment from clear political objectives and overwhelming resource commitment.

Doctrinal standards established during the 1990–91 Gulf War mandated clear political endpoints, international consensus, and decisive military force to ensure operational success without indefinite entrapment. Disregarding these operational parameters created immediate maritime vulnerabilities, enabling Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, deplete critical American precision munitions stockpiles, and expose severe air defense gaps across regional allied nations. Without ground troops or attainable political endpoints, Washington remains locked in an open-ended campaign of attrition that threatens long-term military readiness while failing to permanently eliminate Iranian nuclear assets or disarm regional proxy networks.

Comment

The abandonment of the Powell Doctrine in favour of limited standoff strikes alters the operational link between military intervention and defined political outcomes. By decoupling force application from decisive mass and explicit congressional mandate, campaign planning shifts from achieving conclusive victory to managing open-ended escalation. Without the explicit exit criteria mandated by the Powell Doctrine, precision air operations in complex theaters inevitably default to endless attrition.

Strategic Question for Discussion

Which factor more severely limits campaign effectiveness when departing from the Powell Doctrine — the absence of clear political objectives or the refusal to commit decisive ground forces?

Share your assessment in the comments below.

To read in details click here