The proper use of the military is in times of war. As per article 1 section 8 of the Constitution, Congress must declare war; it is never by executive order of the president. Thereby, the proper use of the military is left to Congress to dictate;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress
Requiring the deliberation and agreement of a great many before action is undertaken ensures a more conservative and more representative approach to the deployment of military force. The power to control the military was undoubtedly vested within the entire body of Congress so the lives of men and women could not be directed by the passions of just one person. Thereupon, while legitimate authority is vested within the Congress to employ military force, that authority absolutely must be exercised with prudence.
The protection of Liberty is the only legitimate use of military force. The protection of Liberty must be for all involved, not just for one party being protected rather than another. Practically speaking, in preparing for attack, a country can be very strong militarily and yet not infringe on Liberty of another country; therefore, it is always a legitimate use of the military to provide for the defense. However, it is altogether another scenario when a country uses its military power for attack.
To attack is either an invasion or an attack can be preemptive. On the one hand, to invade is to be openly aggressive. Invasion seeks to accomplish particular goals even at the resistance of those being invaded. On the other hand, preemptive military action is more discrete. It is justified as a defensive action necessary for protecting Liberty. In reality, to attack would-be attackers, is using military force or coercion to direct policy just like invasion. Thereby, preemptive action only serves to reverse the distinction of vice and virtue, to turn bad into good. To illustrate, consider the recent example where preemptive action has been justified to protect the nation from terrorism. It is supposed that terrorists wish to destroy our civilization and so are a threat to everyone?s Liberty. Since military force should be used to protect Liberty, when the United States intervenes in the affairs of sovereign countries, its motives are explained as necessary to protect Liberty. Yet, preemptive action is still attacking; it seeks to end the Liberty of others in order to preserve its own. Therefore, whether it is an invasion or preemptive, to attack is to deny Liberty to another, and such action is not the proper use of the military.
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