An Assessment of Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield Doctrine for Humanitarian Assistance Operations.

Abstract

This monograph assesses the process of Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) for humanitarian assistance operations. Three case studies of operations conducted overseas for which humanitarian assistance was the primary focus serve as the basis for the assessment. The case studies illustrate how the IPB process is an inadequate tool for analyzing the complex environments in which humanitarian assistance operations take place. This monograph concludes with some recommendations for intelligence preparation based on Peter M. Senge's writings on general systems thinking. The body of the monograph presents background on humanitarian assistance operations, IPB, and the case studies. It draws on the U.S. National Security Strategy and the Joint Publications series to define the U.S. military role in humanitarian assistance operations. Background on the IPB process comes from 1994 version of Field Manual 34-130, Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. This section identifies the implicit and explicit assumptions of the process. The monograph then discusses the case studies in terms of the assumptions. The analysis and evaluation section points out how the IPB process was an inadequate analytical tool for dealing with the complex environments of the three case studies. The assumptions inherent in the process were too limiting. The process did not facilitate an accurate understanding of the threats to U.S. forces or how to best accomplish the missions. Finally, a consideration of theory draws on Senge's discussion of mental models and dynamic complexity. Overcoming the limitations that the IPB process creates involves breaking the present mental model and learning to deal with dynamic complexity.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA309688

Entities

People

  • Lauri J. Snider

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Combat Operations
  • Databases
  • Demography
  • Doctrine
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Employment
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.