Ambivalent Beginnings

This chapter explains how vicarious warfare has iteratively emerged and evolved in an American context. In doing so, the chapter brings the analysis into view across episodes and events that traditional narratives or popular accounts often leave out. It analyzes the diverse 'alternative' history of US warfare, noting [Antulio Joseph] Echevarria, for instance, has pushed back against the notion that the application of overwhelming force has always been the default option for decision-makers in confronting adversaries. The chapter also outlines the number of reasons following the absence of vicarious warfare within the orthodox telling of the story of US force. It then reviews the military practices of the early republic, and discusses the tensions that run through the whole history of US warfare until today.