The classic conflict in society is between liberty on one hand and order on the other. The conflict has been made more acute by the challenges we face in the contemporary world, whether the challenge be that of automation, the explosion of the new nations, or the problems associated with national defense in the nuclear age.

I wish to discuss some of the dilemmas that we face in military strategy, where—just as in the classic conflict between order and freedom—we are forced to choose between conflicting and sometimes incompatible objectives. The problem in both cases is to achieve the proper balance between desirable ends. It is my hope that by examining some of these hard choices, it will be possible to provide some insight into the considerations that enter into the development of national security policy.