Operational Reconnaissance: Identifying the Right Problems in a Complex World
Abstract
The Army deploys to complex operational environments characterized by multiple agents, opaque social networks and multiple, inter-related systems. Frequently, assumptions made in developing plans are proven incorrect when forces actually interact with these complex environments. As a result, actions by Army forces can be counter-productive in achieving the desired strategic aims. This paper proposes a model for the development of an operational reconnaissance force, and explores its development and conceptual usage in World War II and the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War. Operational reconnaissance seeks to interact with the complex environment to improve the operational commander's understanding and their ability to detect changes occuring within it. It is characterized by a requirement to support the operational commander, its integration into planning, its focus, and the necessary capabilities required to provide operational organizations with timely and useable information. The concept of operational reconnaissance develops its intellectual foundations amongst German, Soviet, and US theorists from the interwar period. Subsequent experiences from World War II further shaped the requirements necessary to conduct operational reconnaissance against a near peer adversary. The 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War offers an opportunity to explore the evolution of the requirements necessary to conduct operational reconnaissance against an asymmetric threat in order to develop a more robust model nested within modern doctrine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1001280
Entities
People
- Donald B. Erickson
Organizations
- School of Advanced Military Studies