The Operational End State: Cornerstone of the Operational Level of War

Abstract

This monograph examines the criticality of the operational end state to the conduct of operational warfare through a theoretical and historical analysis from which conclusions concerning current doctrinal treatment of the operational end state are drawn. The theoretical basis for the operational end state begins with the development of linkage between tactical military action and political strategic goals found in the theoretical writings of Clausewitz and Jomini. Their treatment of this subject is reaffirmed by twentieth century military writers such as Lasswell, Huntington, and Brodie. An historical analysis of U.S. military actions since the end of WWII is then presented to determine the validity of theory concerning the critically of the operational end state to the successful achievement of national strategic goals. Several military actions have been chosen as representative of the application of military force to achieve U.S. strategic goals: the Korean Conflict, the 1961 Cuban 'Bay of Pigs', the 1965 Dominican Republic Intervention, and the Vietnam War.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 06, 1988
Accession Number
ADA196229

Entities

People

  • Frederic E. Abt

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Doctrine
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • New England
  • New York
  • Second World War
  • Security
  • United States
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design