Military escalation describes actions that lead to the intensification of conflict. Escalation is both a qualitative and a quantitative process, which can range from the introduction of a new weapon to a commander’s decision to send additional troops into battle.
It is critical that national security professionals understand escalation dynamics to avoid putting their country at risk of a protracted and more intense war. Nevertheless, a number of military leaders have difficulty restraining themselves during moments of crisis, especially when they perceive the stakes as high. This tendency to overestimate the benefits of escalation and underestimate its costs can cause conflict to spiral out of control.
Escalation can occur either intentionally or inadvertently. Intentional escalation is often triggered by the misunderstanding of an adversary’s intentions or by a failure to consider alternatives. Inadvertent escalation may also result from time pressures and perceived crises that compel actors to act before they fully appreciate the implications of their actions.
Intentional escalation can also take the form of deliberately violating an opponent’s rules of engagement in order to achieve strategic advantage. For example, the German escalation of World War I at its beginning involved disregarding Belgian neutrality in order to gain a strategic advantage over France. This deliberate escalation of the war led to an all-time high level of battlefield casualties. In many cases, combatants find themselves trapped in a course of action that they believe is justifiable because they have already expended considerable amounts of time, effort, and resources.