The Future of War Is Operational Art Now Impossible?
Abstract
This monograph examines the impact of future trends in warfare on operational art, the key concept in the U.S. Army's current fighting doctrine. Operational art, which translates the effects of battles and engagements into the attainment of strategic objectives, is the focus of the current and draft editions of Field Manual 100-5, Operations, yet It is not mentioned in the Army's strategic vision for the 21st Century, TRADOC Pamphlet 525-5, Force XXI Operations. As its origins in American doctrine lie in the conventional war paradigm that shaped Army doctrine in the 1980s, operational art's usefulness as a practical concept for the military planner appears to be in doubt. The monograph discusses the origins of operational art's current prominence in doctrine and uses James J. Schneider's Theory of Operational Art as a basis for determining if future trends will permit its practice. Force XXI Operations provides a summary of projected trends in war. The monograph then analyzes the arguments of noted writers whose works address these trends. The analysis focuses on three dominant trends: the decline of the nation-state and the rise of the non-state warrior, the prevalence of unconventional forms of war, and the replacement of ideological conflict with inter-ethnic and civilizational competition as a cause of future wars. The monograph concludes that operational art, far from being an outdated concept, is sufficiently flexible to accommodate changes in war. The monograph demonstrates that claims about the imminent demise of the nation-state, the decisiveness of unconventional war, and the rise of inter-ethnic conflict are potentially misleading. Forms of war are increasing, but not replacing one another. The possibility of conventional war remains. The imperative now is to understand these changes and ensure that the U.S. Army does not, at the outset of conflict, allow the enemy to choose the forms of war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA356953
Entities
People
- Richard E. Wiersema
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College