Abstract

"The goal of identifying and mitigating the costs of war prior to committing personnel and resources has been recognized as a primary strategic objective since at least the times of Sun Tzu in the Fifth Century, BC. As noted in the historical text, The Art of War, "Who wishes to fight must first count the cost" (Tzu 2005, 119). Along these lines, more modernly through the concept of "risk to mission," policymakers and military leaders have consistently recognized the obligation to minimize lives lost in determining whether and how to prosecute combat operations (Deptula 2021). As armies have refined weapons of war to limit collateral consequences through development of treaties and agreements (Solis 2010), greater numbers of battlefield casualties survived, introducing a secondary concern for the cost of caring for veterans who would inevitably face a lifelong battle to survive war-related injuries at home"--