  The Newtonian character of gauge theories on a light front requires that the
longitudinal momentum P^+, which plays the role of Newtonian mass, be
conserved. This requirement conflicts with the standard definition of the force
between two sources in terms of the minimal energy of quantum gauge fields in
the presence of a quark and anti-quark pinned to points separated by a distance
R. We propose that, on a light front, the force be defined by minimizing the
energy of gauge fields in the presence of a quark and an anti-quark pinned to
lines (1-branes) oriented in the longitudinal direction singled out by the
light front and separated by a transverse distance R. Such sources will have a
limited 1+1 dimensional dynamics. We study this proposal for weak coupling
gauge theories by showing how it leads to the Coulomb force law. For QCD we
also show how asymptotic freedom emerges by evaluating the S-matrix through one
loop for the scattering of a particle in the N_c representation of color
SU(N_c) on a 1-brane by a particle in the \bar N_c representation of color on a
parallel 1-brane separated from the first by a distance R<<1/Lambda_{QCD}.
Potential applications to the problem of confinement on a light front are
discussed.
