The Development of a Joint Operational Concept, "Effects-Based Operations and Rapid Decisive Operations"

Abstract

This paper explores the parallel development of the joint operational concepts Rapid Decisive Operations (RDO) and Effects-Based Operations (EBO) with the Marine Corps' emerging operational concept: Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare (EMW). It explores the role of operational concepts in providing future warfighting capabilities and seeks to answer the following questions: How will a joint operational concept enhance future warfighting capability, and, How can the Marine Corps best contribute to the joint force of the future? The paper is divided into six sections. Section I provides an overview of the future security environment in which the joint force of tomorrow will operate. Section II explores major developments in joint warfighting: the Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, Joint Vision 2010/2020, and the evolution of U.S. Joint Forces Command's (USJFCOM) role in developing joint operational concepts. Section III argues the need for a joint operational concept that will be able to drive the combat development processes of the individual services. Without a joint operational concept, neither the intent of the Goldwater-Nichols Act nor the vision established in Joint Vision 2020 will be realized. Section IV examines the RDO and EBO initiatives, the USJFCOM RDO war games, and the Joint Strike Force initiative. Section V analyzes the Marine Corps' efforts to develop its new operational concept: EMW. Section VI provides the author's conclusions and recommendations for the future development of operational concepts. Future operational concepts must focus on the needs of the regional CinCs and provide the NCA with the greatest future warfighting capability across the spectrum of conflict. USJFCOM must be given the authority commensurate with the responsibility that they have been given as DoD's lead agency for transformation. The individual services must overcome service parochialism and actively support USJFCOM in their attempts to develop an operational concept.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA517024

Entities

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Information Systems
  • International Organizations
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Navy
  • Tilt Rotor Aircraft
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.