A limited war is one in which the belligerents do not expend all of the resources at their disposal, whether human, industrial, agricultural, military, natural, technological, or otherwise in a specific conflict. [1]

A limited war is a war carried out by a state that uses less than its total resources and has a goal of less than total defeat of the enemy. [1] It is very often the high cost of war that makes limited war more practical than total war.

Limited war is a subjective and relative term that has gained currency chiefly to distinguish certain conflicts from wars fought for ends and by means that have impressed men as extreme. Limited wars are as old as the history of mankind. They have occurred among the most primitive and the most advanced peoples and in every civilization.

The meaning of LIMITED WAR is a war whose objective is less than the total defeat of the enemy.

Most warfare, moreover, was limited in scale and made little use of advanced technology. It produced only nine highly mobilized war economies: the two Koreas (1950–53), Israel (1956, 1967, 1973), North Vietnam (1965–75), Biafra (1967–70), Iran and Iraq (1980–88)—all except Israel preindustrial Third World countries. Read More

The saga of the limited war theorists is as much a story of their struggle against these tendencies as it is a recounting of their innovations, It is to these roots that we now briefly turn.

Feb 4, 2024 · Limited war is characterized by deliberate restraint in objectives and means, contrasting with total war. The Korean War highlighted the onset of limited wars, where superpowers fought indirectly with limited objectives to avoid direct confrontation and escalation.

Oct 19, 2020 · Limited war allowed the United States to launch a war without the people’s commitment; it was also used by the Pentagon to gradually expand its influence, resulting in the Vietnam War’s escalation in uncertain times.

The first was based on Cold War strategy and advocated limited war to enhance national security, while the second was based on humanitarian principles that focused on limiting the nature of war to protect the civilian population.

A Limited War is fought with limited engagement of force and resources. This article discusses the nature of Limited Wars, their characteristic features that differentiate them from Total Wars, the limited nature of their objectives and why they are preferred over Total Wars.