Commentary on "The U. S. Army in Multi Domain Operations 2028"
Abstract
Any response to Russian or Chinese aggression from the United States and its Allies requires military operating concepts, materiel solutions, and forward deployed forces in well-planned and prepared defenses to deter these adversaries credibly and, if necessary, defend the status quo. These concepts must rely on sound military theories and testable hypotheses that yield a logical theory of victory. Unfortunately, the central ideas in United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Pamphlet 525-3-1, The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028 (MDO), inherits foundational flaws from its preceding concepts (such as the Air-Land Battle and the Operational Context); thus, the pamphlet fails the challenge. Cold War requirements for deterrence and defense provide more relevance to these challenges than recentconventional combat operations. Then, we assessed the Warsaw Pact armies as capable of a blitzkrieg conventional attack that would overwhelm Allied defenses and NATOs nuclear deterrent. The Air-Land Battle concept provided NATO with logical and validated means to win the first battle decisively through the systemic defeat of Warsaw Pact armies. The concepts maturity required planners to gain aholistic understanding of the adversary to develop a campaign-quality set of ideas with testable lines of operations and objectives before identifying the methods or means to apply in an asymmetric way. The development of effective tactical ways and means for operational concepts requires credible analytical testing, gaming, and scientific rigor to avoid the risk of validation on the battlefield. Todays adversaries behavior and technological capabilities require the same approach. A synthesis of the unclassified Summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy and TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1 yields the following concept objective (mission) and principal supporting (task) objectives for the US Army.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1097751
Entities
People
- Huba W. De Czege
Organizations
- United States Army War College