The Operations Transition Planning Cell: Organizing and Tooling for Termination Success
Abstract
As operations over the last twelve years have shown, the United States Armed Forces have become the dominant military force on earth. All services, operating in joint and combined environments, have proven themselves capable policy instruments. Where the U.S. has struggled, however, is in the area of conflict termination. Since World War II, the U.S. has often prevailed militarily, but frequently failed to achieve policy goals. Examples of these termination failures include Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Somalia and the Balkans. Moreover, World War II was a war termination anomaly. How often in the future will the U.S. fight a war with the stated objective of the enemy's unconditional surrender? The prospect is unlikely. Senior military leaders must be prepared to fight highly constrained limited wars and Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) with plans that focus not just on military success but also on winning the peace. As leaders assess the condition and direction of the U.S. military, an opportunity now exists to take a long, hard look at conflict termination planning. A quick scan of the Joint Pubs gives the military professional the sense that the culture whole-heartily buys into the importance of conflict termination strategy, but the literature offers little help on designing such a strategy. It is time to take the next step. This step is creating an interagency organization and a doctrine that arms this organization with the tools to do termination planning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA389470
Entities
People
- John R. Boule
Organizations
- Naval War College