The Joint Campaign Glass Ceiling - Successfully Breaking the Transition Phase Barrier
Abstract
The military has created four phases to an operational campaign - Deter/Engage, Seize Initiative, Decisive Operations and Transition. The first three phases work remarkably well to achieve the desired military end state, however the Transition Phase - bringing operations to a successful conclusion (i.e., meeting the political end state) remains the key barrier to the joint campaign. Toward the end of decisive military operations, nonmilitary instruments of power become the leading effort in the operational arena. The Theater CINC has limited influence on diplomatic, economic and informational instruments, yet is held accountable for their effects on successfully completing the campaign. The ClNC can only guaranty success given vastly improved integration of interagency efforts applied at the operational level. This paper will analyze the challenges of successfully creating mutually satisfactory military and political conditions in the operational campaign. I will demonstrate the CINC's fundamental constraint from successfully accomplishing his political objectives during the transition phase of the campaign is failure to achieve unity of effort between the military and the interagency community. I will propose solving the unity of effort dilemma, by providing the CINC better interagency access through a dedicated interagency coordination cell to achieve greater military-Interagency integration. This operational military-interagency structure within the CINC's staff would be responsible for parallel political campaign planning and execution which can coherently tie the interagency process by phase to the military campaign. This organization must reside in the CINC's headquarters. Its span of influence could range from enabling effective interagency coordination and planning to actually directing operational policy within set, strategic restraints/constraints.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA401959
Entities
People
- Steven P. Apland
Organizations
- United States Army War College