Introduction Expeditionary warfare refers to the use of the military force outside the United States to influence events taking place abroad (Federoff & Melhuish 1994; Federoff & Melhuish 1994). The expeditionary warfare approach is flexible, adapted, limited in objectives and designed for specific regional operations. It may also entail deploying forces on another country’s terrain (under U.S. control) to sway or influence events. Since the demise of the former Soviet Union, the world has changed a lot and the security threats to the U.S. have lessened. Nonetheless, global security remains a major issue to-date. In this regard, the President’s National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement (NSS), a team whose main objective is to detour and prevent conflict has visibly reflected that concern (Federoff & Melhuish 1994; Federoff & Melhuish 1994). With regard to that, the new National Security Strategy is selective and regional (compared to its precursors) in its attempt to solve problems of post Cold War, such as global terrorism. Following budgetary cuts in military expenditures, expeditionary warfare has emerged as the main form of warfare to combat irregular warfare in a cost-effective way. There have been several initiatives to address how expeditionary warfare can support national security objectives. The establishment of OPNAV 85 by the chief of Naval Operation is one such initiative. In addition, several deliberations that relate to expeditionary warfare have been carried out to explore various facets of how expeditionary warfare could be used to prevent regional disputes (Federoff & Melhuish 1994). Following the considerations outlined above, a methodology for expeditionary warfare was devised by NSS. A number of assumptions were made regarding challenges posed by irregular warfare and how expeditionary warfare approach could be used to address them. Second, provision for a starting point and facility study centre was necessary to develop definition of both dispute prevention as well as expeditionary warfare. Finally, a chart that reflected the use of military force was developed to provide visual presentation of the background range of the area of concern, adding further accuracy to the study effort. On the basis of these assumptions, a link was established between expeditionary warfare and dispute prevention. The U.S. explored various ways in which expeditionary warfare could be used to deter conflicts in various regions abroad (Federoff & Melhuish 1994; Federoff & Melhuish 1994). A number of scholars have engaged in lively debates on whether expeditionary warfare can best explain the nature of warfare today (Hoffman 2006, p. 395; Higgins et al., 2004). For instance, the United State is currently the frontrunner in the use of expeditionary warfare, especially following the 9/11 attacks, to pursue and neutralize domestic and foreign threats. The U.S military approach is nowadays less direct compared to what it was in the last century. A good example is Pentagon’s Global Posture review which describes the flexible approach of the U.S military in foreign countries (Hoffman 2006, p. 395). This paper will therefore discuss the relevance of expeditionary warfare in combating present-day te