Assessment: A Military Methodology in Need of an Overhaul
Abstract
Current assessment doctrine in U.S. Joint Publications needs significant reform by drawing on civilian practices to standardize terminology and procedures to improve its successful use in future operations. Comparison to the civilian practice of assessment reveals that the U.S. military incorrectly defines the evaluation process. The civilian practice uses evaluation to review and improve the operational approach and elements of operational design, update the assessment plan, and validate planning assumptions. Also, current doctrine does not provide adequate description of assessment methodology and lacks common procedures, training, subject matter experts and alignment with a lead Joint Staff directorate. The lack of detail about assessment sharing between organizational levels, assessment output product description, and traditional warfare requirements further exacerbates this failure. The military should correctly redefine the monitoring and evaluating processes in order to shift the focus of evaluation from assessing plan execution to evaluating the plan assumptions and objectives for continued synchronization with strategic goals and changing environment. Moreover, improvement of the U.S. military practice of assessment requires clearly defining doctrine, organization, and procedures while establishing common manning and training. By implementing these changes, the U.S. military can significantly improve its ability to assess current military campaigns and operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA603676
Entities
People
- John S. Meiter
Organizations
- National Defense University