Operational Art and the ADF Experience

Abstract

In the 1980s the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with other Western militaries, imported the concept of operational art from the US. Operational art is a well-studied and tested concept within the United States military, but Australia is a significantly smaller military, and operates in a different strategic context. The 2016 Australian Defence White Paper identifies three Strategic Defence Interests: a secure resilient Australia, a secure near region, and a stable Indo-Pacific region and rules-based global order which supports Australian interests. The white paper envisages two options for Australia: one where Australia contributes to a US led military commitment, and the other where the ADF leads a regional contingency operation. Since introducing operational art into ADF doctrine, the ADF has participated in multiple military commitments, including commitments as a junior coalition partner in US led commitments, as well as the lead nation of a number of major regional stability operations. This monograph asks if the ADF experience supports the applicability of operational art. To answer this question, two case studies are examined: Operation Stabilise, the 1999 intervention in East Timor and Operation Slipper, Australia's contribution to the US led operation in Afghanistan. This monograph concludes that operational art is an inevitable reality for operations where the ADF is the lead nation. However, when the ADF is contributing as a junior coalition partner, responsibility for operational art is held by the lead nation, with ADF objectives restricted to supporting the lead nation objectives. Operational art is not exclusively defined by techniques used to synchronize tactical actions; rather, it occurs where there is a dialogue between the policy makers and the tactical commander.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 25, 2017
Accession Number
AD1039930

Entities

People

  • Ian W. Sherman

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Case Studies
  • Cognition
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Military Education
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Stability Operations
  • United States
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Strategic Security Studies