The necessity of a plan for conflict resolution should be intuitively obvious for policymakers, yet a survey of recent conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq, shows that not to be the case. "Beyond Guns and Steel: A War Termination Strategy" provides a practical approach to establishing a plan for war termination and conflict resolution "before" the bullets fly.

In explaining the difference between strategy and policy, Colonel Dominic J. Caraccilo clarifies the most important, and often the most constraining, element of a nation's power--its resources. He posits that termination...