Red Teaming: Past and Present
Abstract
"Red teaming" is a relatively new buzzword, but there is no common definition of its meaning. It can mean role-playing the adversary, conducting a vulnerability assessment, or using analytical techniques to improve intelligence estimates. While these definitions seem unrelated, they have in common the goal of improving decision making. This commonality forms the basis of the Army's understanding of red teaming. Key aspects of the Army red teaming definition are its emphasis on independent thinking, challenging organizational thinking, incorporating alternative perspectives, and incorporating alternative analysis. The purpose of this monograph is to examine historical and contemporary red teaming, and to determine its value in decision making. To this end, the monograph compares the success of past "great captains" of warfare against modern military failures in the form of three case studies. Field Marshal Slim's 1945 counteroffensive into Burma and T. E. Lawrence's participation in the Arab Revolt during World War I demonstrate how red teaming enabled each commander to develop a better understanding of his operating environment. Operation Iraqi Freedom demonstrates the dangers of misapplying red teaming, and emphasizes the importance of realism and accuracy in using alternative perspectives and divergent analysis. The monograph concludes that using the core concepts of red teaming enables an understanding of the operating environment that is critical to achieving success on the modern battlefield. The author recommends incorporating red teaming concepts throughout military decision making processes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA485514
Entities
People
- David F. Longbine
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College