ends. Finally, the means represent the power or resources the leaders hope to employ in order arrive at their ends. To summarize the interrelationship of the three triangle legs representing strategy; the ways utilize the means to achieve the ends. According to Lykke, the best any strategy can guarantee is a “favorable balance against failure” and to reduce risk of failure the ends, means and ways must as balanced as possible (Yarger 7).
Examining World War II it is easy to see the division of strategy in the US on the national, national military and theater levels. It is also possible to discover the ends, ways and means employed at each level. While the best combination of objectives (ends), concepts (ways) and resources (means) are sought in formulating strategy at any level, the combination must still be subjected to the combined measuring stick of suitability, feasibility and acceptability. These three standards are used to determine whether the combination of objectives, concepts and resources is the most effective and/or efficient: “Suitability relates primarily to determining whether the military objective, if achieved, will lead to the desired effect…the objective must also be feasible. This requires that the resources available for the attainment of the objective be compared to the enemy’s capability to prevent its attainment. Finally, if the strategic concept has met the demands of suitability and feasibility, it must yet be determined whether the operation can achieve its military objective at reasonable cost-acceptability” (A Model 18). The views of different strategic theorists are also evident within this examination of World War II as are the similarities and differences between US and British strategies.
World War II offers many examples to see how the three levels of strat
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