Adaptive Planning and the Nature of War: Operational Considerations vis- a-vis Vietnam
Abstract
This paper analyzes various aspects of the Adaptive Planning framework and determination of a war's/crisis' nature within the context of the Vietnam war. Its focus is on the operational level and its relationship to the above concepts to demonstrate the scope of conceptualization required of the operational commander. A detailed review of the adaptive planning process and analysis of the nature of the Vietnam war is provided to form the basis of a qualitative view of their significance at the operational level. An essential requirement at all levels of war is the willingness to reassess the basic assumptions that frame the national response. These assumptions derive from the determination of the war's/crisis' nature - the sine qua non for national response - and are an essential concern to the operational commander. The adaptive planning framework provides a methodology to address flawed assumptions resultant from a misdetermination of the nature of war. Incorporation of the operational level in initial planning stages of the national response provides for continuity of planning and meaningful feedback from a level uniquely situated to analyze the effectiveness and correlation of strategy and tactical actions. Thus, adaptive planning offers a framework to redress incongruities of means/ends and invalid assumptions toward a refocused national response.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 19, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA266648
Entities
People
- Mark J. Brousseau
Organizations
- Naval War College