Thinking Beyond the Point of Contact

Abstract

This monograph explores the hypothesis that a dogmatic focus on tactics inhibits the commander's understanding in the context of a more information-centric, cognitive operational environment and prevents the development of an internally coherent and externally relevant operational approach. It seeks to understand the cognitive limitations of the current paradigm, to propose that it risks relevancy in competition, and to demonstrate the importance of thinking beyond the point of contact within the contemporary context. This monograph is divided into three sections, the first of which seeks to understand the origin of the current paradigm and its internal logic. The second section seeks to demonstrate the limitations of the current paradigm within a contemporary context and the resulting risk to external relevance. The third section considers a need to adapt the US Army's mode of thinking to re-establish equilibrium between theory, doctrine, practical experience, and context to create a context-based paradigm.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 21, 2020
Accession Number
AD1165659

Entities

People

  • M. G. Maurais

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adaptive Systems
  • Artillery
  • Cognition
  • Complex Adaptive Systems
  • Data Mining
  • Demography
  • Doctrine
  • Education
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Military History
  • Military Strategy
  • National Security
  • Professional Development
  • Psychology
  • Social Media
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Systems Analysis and Design