JMO DEPARTMENT, U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE, NEWPORT, RI.

1 INTRODUCTION TO OPERATIONAL ARTByDR. M. VEGOJMO DEPARTMENT, NAVAL WAR college , newport , RI. WAR IS NOT AN AFFAIR OF CHANCE. A GREAT DEAL OF KNOWLEDGE, STUDY AND MEDITATION IS NECESSARY TO CONDUCT IT WELL. FREDERICK THE GREAT, 1747 TERMS USED GRAND TACTICS OPERATIONS (OPERATIONS) OPERATIONAL ART (OPERATIONSKUNST) OPERATIONAL ART (OPERATIVNOYE ISKUSSTVO) OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP (OPERATIONSFUEHRUNG; OPERATIVE FUEHRUNG) OPERATIONAL WARFARE OPERATIONAL WARFIGHTINGHISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMPONENTS OF MILITARY ARTPPT-98-VEG0-38A (PFR)TACTICSOPERATIONS(Operational Art)STRATEGYON OPERATIONAL ART AN INTERMEDIATE FIELD OF STUDY AND PRACTICE BETWEEN STRATEGY AND TACTICS IT IS APPLIED ACROSS THE ENTIRE OPERATIONAL CONTINUUM IT DEALS WITH THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PLANNING, PREPARING, CONDUCTING, AND SUSTAINING MAJOR OPERATIONS AND CAMPAIGNS AIMED AT ACCOMPLISHING OPERATIONAL OR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES IN A THEATER.

2 THE NATION THAT WILL INSIST ON DRAWING A BROAD LINE BETWEEN THE FIGHTING MAN AND THE THINKING MAN IS LIABLE TO FIND ITS FIGHTING DONE BY FOOLS AND ITS THINKING DONE BY COWARDS. SIR WILLIAM FRANCIS BUTLERMILITARY SCIENCE AND MILITARY ARTSTRATEGY TACTICSOPERATIONS(OPERATIONAL ART)MILITARYARTMILITARYSCIENCEPPT-98-VEG 0-10A (PFR)IMPORTANCE TACTICS ALONE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES IN A THEATER OR WIN THE WAR; RESULTS OF TACTICAL ACTIONS ARE USEFUL ONLYWHEN LINKED TOGETHER AS A PART OF SOME LARGER DESIGN FRAMED BY STRATEGY AND ORCEHSTRATED BY OPERATIONAL ART THE GAP BETWEEN STRATEGY AND TACTICS IS TOO LARGE TO BE BRIDGED WITHOUT AN INTERMEDIATE FIELD OF STUDY AND PRACTICE --OPERATIONAL ART OPERATIONAL ART SEQUENCES AND SYNCHRONIZES SERIES OF TACTICAL ACTIONS TO ACCOMPLISH OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES THROUGH THE CONDUCT OF MAJOR OPERATIONS.

3 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES IN A THEATER ARE NORMALLY ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH SERIES OF MAJOR OPERATIONS OPERATIONAL ART ALLOWS A SMALLER, BUT BETTER TRAINED AND SKILLFULLY LED FORCE GUIDED BY SOUND STRATEGY TO DEFEAT QUICKLYAND DECISIVELYA MUCH STRONGER FORCE. OPERATIONAL ART HELPS TO AVOID MORE COSTLY AND TIME-CONSUMING ATTRITIONAL WARFARE AT THE OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC LEVELS IT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK AND KEY INPUTS FOR WRITING SERVICE AND JOINT/COMBINED DOCTRINE IT REINFORCES THE NEED FOR THE CLOSEST COOPERATION AMONG THE SERVICES MOVEMENTS OF LARGE MULTI-SERVICE OR MULTI-NATIONAL FORCES OVER LARGE PART OF THE THEATER THE DEPLOYMENTFORMS THE VERY BASIS OF A PLAN FOR CAMPAIGN OR MAJOR OPERATION SEQUENCED AND SYNCHRONIZED EMPLOYMENT OF MILITARY AND NON-MILITARY SOURCES

4 OF POWERPREREQUISITES A SUFFICIENT PHYSICAL SPACE FOR MOVEMENTS OF LARGE FORMATIONS FULL MASTERY OF TACTICS THE COMMANDERS MUST HAVE THAT RARE ABILITY TO THINK BEYOND THE REALM OF PHYSICAL COMBAT THE EXISTENCE OF THE THEATER-WIDE STRUCTURE (C2; C2W; INTELLIGENCE; FIRES; LOGISTICS; AND PROTECTION).COMPONENTSMILITARY ART COMPONENTS COMPONENTPPT-99-VEGO-40 (PFR)STRATEGYTACTICSLEVEL OF WARSTRATEGIC NATIONAL-STRATEGIC THEATER-STRATEGICOPERATIONALTACTICALOPER ATIONAL-TACTICALNATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGYOR ALLIANCE/COALITION STRATEGY)DETERMINATIONOF PRIMARYAND SECONDARYTHEATERSNATIONAL MILITARY STRATEGYCONFLICT/WAR TERMINATIONALLOCATION OF MILITARY RESOURCESAMONG THEATERSOPERATIONALFACTORSOPERATIONAL ART(OPERATIONS)

5 OPERATIONALLEADERSHIPMETHODS OF COMBATFORCE EMPLOYMENTOPERATIONALFUNTIONSOPERATIONAL PLANNINGPRINCIPLES OFOPERATIONALWARFAREELEMENTS OFOPERATIONALWARFARETACTICS OFBRANCHESTACTICSTACTICALPLANNINGTYPES OFSHIPS / AIRCRAFTCOMBATARMS TACTICSTACTICS OFWEAPONSPLATFORMSTACTICS OFCOMBINEDARMSOPERATIONALART(OPERATIONS) THEORY AND PRACTICEISSUING STRATEGIC GUIDANCEBUILDING ALLIANCE/COALITIONENHANCING COUNTRY S GEOSTRATEGIC POSITIONTHEORY AND PRACTICEINPUT TO CONFLICT/WAR TERMINATIONOPERATIONALTRAININGOPERATIONA L-STRATEGICMETHODS OF TACTICALEMPLOYMENTTHEORY AND PRACTICETACTICALFUNCTIONSTACTICS OFTYPE OF SHIPS/AIRCRAFTRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPONENTS OF MILITARY ART AND THE LEVELS OF WARNATIONAL-STRATEGIC LEVELLEVEL OF WARTHEATER-STRATEGIC LEVELOPERATIONAL-TACTICAL LEVELTACTICAL LEVELNATIONAL-STRATEGICCOMMAND

6 ECHELONTHEATER-STRATEGICOPERATIONALOPERA TIONAL-TACTICALTACTICALGLOBALPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTTHEATER OF WARTHEATER OF OPERATIONSAREA OF OPERATIONSCOMBAT ZONE (SECTOR)(LAND, MARITIME)(LAND, MARITIME, AIR)(LAND, MARITIME, AIR)COMPONENTS OFMILITARY ARTSTRATEGYOPERATIONAL ARTTACTICSOPERATIONALPPT-97 VEG024A (PFR)OPERATIONAL FACTORSOPERATIONAL FACTORSPPT-96 VEG040 BOPERATIONALFACTORSTIMESPACEFORCESPACE-F ORCETIME-SPACETIME-FORCESPACE -TIME -FORCEINFORMATION OBJECTIVEBALANCINGTHE FACTOR OF SPACEMILITARYORGANIZATIONOF SPACEDYNAMICSOF SPACEGEOSTRATEGICPOSITIONSSHAPEPHYSICALC HARACTERISTICSSIZEDISTANCESFACTORSPACEEL EMENTS OFTHE THEATERPPT-97 VEG0226/14/2004 THE FACTOR OF TIMEFOR WAROPENINGHOSTILITIESCOLLECTING.

7 PROCESSINGAND EVALUATINGINFORMATIONMANEUVER/COUNTER-MA NEUVERDURATIONOF WARDECISIONCYCLEPLANNINGTIME BETWEENCONSECUTIVEMAJOR OPERATIONS/CAMPAIGNSTIMINGACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE MISSIONREGENERATION OFCOMBAT POWERBRINGING NEW WEAPONS/EQUIPMENTFOR A MAJOROPERATION/CAMPAIGNPREPARATIONDEPLOY MENTMOBILIZATIONREACTIONWARNINGREDEPLOYM ENTCONCENTRATION/COUNTER-CONCENTRATIONCO MMITMENT OFRESERVESTRANSITTIME FOR:PPT-96 VEG032A (PFR)ACTIVATIONOF COMBATPOWERCOMBAT POTENTIAL vs. COMBAT POWERPPT-00-VEGO-38 (PFR)COMBAT POTENTIALDESIGNEDPEACETIMENON-COMBATHOST ILITIESCOMBATAVAILABLECOMBATEFFECTIVENES SRELATIVECOMBATPOWERCOMBAT POWERENEMYCOMBATPOWERCOMBAT POWERPPT-00-VEGO-36 (PFR)AVAILABLE COMBATPOTENTIALFORCESPACETIMESURPRISEDEC EPTIONFATIGUECHANCE / LUCKFOG OF WARFRICTIONFREEDOM OF ACTION / INITIATIVELOGISTICAL SUSTAINMENTDOCTRINEDECISIONS.

8 PLUSCOMBATPOWERNON-COMBATCOMBATPEACETIME HOSTILITIESTHE THEATER THEATER STRUCTURE AND LEVELS OF WARPPT-97 VEG035 LEVELS OF WARTHEATER-STRATEGICOPERATIONAL-TACTICAL TACTICALOPERATIONALTHEATER (OF WAR)THEATER OF OPERATIONSTHEATER OF OPERATIONSTHEATER OF OPERATIONSAREAS OFOPERATIONSAIR(SPACE)MARITIMELANDJOINTC OMBATZONES/SECTORSAIR (SPACE)MARITIMELANDULTIMATE OBJECTIVENATIONAL ORALLIANCE/COALITIONSTRATEGIC OBJECTIVETHEATER-STRATEGIC(OR MILITARY STRATEGIC)OBJECTIVEOPERATIONALOBJECTIVEO RMAJOR TACTICALTACTICALOBJECTIVETHEATER GEOEMETRY PPT-96 VEG08 LINE OFCOMMUNICATIONS(LOC)DECISIVEPOINTSTHEAT ERGEOMETRYINTERIOREXTERIORPARALLELCONVER GINGDIVERGINGLINE OFOPERATIONS(LOO)SINGLEDOUBLEMULTIPLESHO RTLONGCENTRAL(INTERIOR)EXTERIORAIR(ALOC) SEA(SLOC)LAND(LLOC)OCEANICCOASTALFORCE-O RIENTEDGEOGRAPHIC-ORIENTEDSTRATEGICTACTI CALOPERATIONALMAJORMINORPHYSICALOBJECTIV ESSTRATEGICOPERATIONALTACTICALPOSITIONSL ONGSHORTBASE OFOPERATIONSCENTRAL(INTERIOR)

9 EXTERIORCYBER-ORIENTEDMAININTERMEDIATETH EATER GEOMETRYLOOLOOLOOLOOSLOCLLOCALOCENEMYCEN TER OFGRAVITYPRINCIPALOBJECTIVEBASE OFOPERATIONSDECISIVE POINTSGEOGRAPHIC-ORIENTEDFORCE=ORIENTEDI NTERMEDIATEBASEOPERATIONSNEW LOOSNEW FUNCTIONSOPERATIONAL FUNCTIONS(IN GENERIC TERMS)PPT-96 VEG07 OPERATIONALFIRESOPERATIONALPROTECTIONCOM MAND, CONTROL,COMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTERS (C3)OPERATIONALINTELLIGENCEOPERATIONALLO GISTICSCOMMANDAND CONTROL(C2)OPERATIONALFUNCTIONSCOMMAND & CONTROLWARFARE (C2W)INTELLIGENCESUPPORTFUNCTIONC2 SCALE OF INTELLIGENCE EFFORTLEVEL OF WARSTRATEGICOPERATIONALTACTICALTACTICALI NTELLIGENCESTRATEGICINTELLIGENCEOPERATIO NALINTELLIGENCELEVELS OF COMMANDIN SUPPORT OFNATIONAL-STRATEGIC LEADERSHIPNATIONAL ALLIANCE AND/OR COALITION POLICY & STRATEGYTHEATER-STRATEGIC COMMANDERTHEATER CAMPAIGNS & LOW-INTENSITY CONFLICTTHEATER OF OPERATIONS COMMANDERA SINGLE CAMPAIGNOPERATIONAL TACTICAL COMMANDERA SINGLE MAJOR OPERATIONTACTICAL COMMANDERTACTICAL ACTIONS (BATTLES, ENGAGEMENTS, STRIKES, ATTACKS, ETC.)

10 PPT-96 VEG03A (PFR)C2W COMPONENTSC2 WPPT-96 VEG02 INFORMATIONWARFARE (IW)ELECTRONICWARFARE(EW)OPERATIONSSECUR ITY(OPSEC)PSYCHOLOGICALOPERATIONS(PSYOPS )MILITARYDECEPTION(MILDEC)PHYSICALDESTRU CTIONEW SUPPORTELECTRONIC ATTACK(EA)ELECTRONIC PROTECTION(E)