Fog Of War Essay

The Fog of War is an American film that documents the life, as well as times, of Robert. S McNamara, a former United States Secretary of Defense. In the film he illustrates his observations and experience with modern warfare (Errol, 2003). The title “Fog of War” is derived from a military concept that tends to depict difficulty that arises when making decisions especially when faced with conflict. The term Fog of War comes into mind when watching the film. It refers to the uncertainty that individuals face while undertaking part in military operations. It seeks to capture the uncertainty with regards to an individual’s capability, adversary intent and adversary capability during a campaign, operation or engagement. Military forces tend to reduce the effects of fog of war by engaging a friendly force …show more content…
McNamara is heard advising the president to take out all the America advisors located in Vietnam within a period of two years. He also discusses with the president about the tragedy that had befallen the coup in South Vietnam. Their president had been murdered which had made it hard for them to pull out of the situation. The president was upset because America was partially responsible for the group. During this complex situation with South Vietnam, McNamara demonstrates power when he advises that if escalation was to be needed with the intention of improving the deteriorating situation, then the American people would require to be educated on the calamitous circumstances of that particular country. McNamara tends to hold that the president was responsible for Vietnam War. However, I believe that he had an active role to play in the way which resulted in numerous losses of lives and massive destruction of property. McNamara assumes that if President John F Kennedy had continued to live, then the situation in Vietnam would not have deteriorated like it (Errol,