New Perspectives on Effects-Based Operations: Annotated Briefing
Abstract
This annotated briefing represents the JAWP thinking on metrics for effects-based operations to date, focusing on effects-based operations and the military instrument of national power (in the form of a joint force). The team addressed four basic questions: What are effects-based operations? Why are they so difficult? Why are they worth doing? What comes next? The JAWP Team leveraged current effects-based operations work from a number of organizations, but to highlight the critical elements of successful effects-based campaigns, the team members turned to history. They examined historical case studies from ancient to modern warfare across the spectrum of operations. That work resulted in several expanded ideas. More than just linking planned actions to strategic outcomes, there must be an operational assessment and feedback mechanism. Adversaries must be viewed as complex, adaptive systems of systems in dimensions beyond just the physical. Staffs must provide their commander's courses of actions that are not only executable, but also where the intended effects are observable. The emerging notion of information superiority is powerful, but decision superiority is of crucial importance. Only an effects-based approach will allow a commander to progress from information to decision superiority. Much work remains-and the JAWP team is continuing to work to explore processes, organizations, tools, and capabilities to enable joint force commanders and staffs to understand and conduct effects-based operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA395129
Entities
People
- Adrienne J. Murphy
- Dennis J. Gleeson
- Gwen Linde
- Kathleen Mcgrath
- Williamson Murray
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses