Commentary on "The US 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 AirLand 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 recent conventional 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.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 03, 2020
Accession Number
AD1124715

Entities

People

  • Huba W. De Czege

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems

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  • Active Defense
  • Area Denial
  • Army Training
  • Cold War
  • Combat Operations
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • Information Warfare
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Multi-Domain Operations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Training
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design