Throughout history, many have attempted to explain the phenomenon of war. Each in their own time contributed their own experiences to the cumulative body of military knowledge that has been handed down to the present day. As time passes, these theories of war and warfare evolve. This evolution continues today within the US Army. The US Army’s doctrine of operational art infers a theory of war and warfare dominated by conventional thinking, but has struggled to adapt to complex irregular conflicts that dominate current operations.
Theory serves as the basis upon which the Army develops doctrine. While the Army had no explicitly published theory of war and warfare until recently, the threads of theorists past and present can be seen woven throughout
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However, one must extend beyond just the definition to attain a more thorough understanding of what operational art encompasses. The Army defines operational art as, “the cognitive approach by commanders and staffs – supported by their skill, knowledge, experience, creativity, and judgment – to develop strategies, campaigns, and operations to organize and employ military forces by integrating ends, ways, and means.” Army Doctrinal Publication 3-0 provides a slight variation by defining operational art as “the pursuit of strategic objectives, in whole or in part, through the arrangement of tactical actions in time, space, and purpose.” The net result from this process should always be executable plans and orders. Simply put, operational art is the process of applying military means to achieve a strategic goal. From this understanding of operational art, we should be able to infer the theoretical underpinnings on which it is …show more content…
Many of Jomini’s principles that guide operational art endure; some do not. Aircraft, rapid-fire weapons and mechanization have all shaped warfare in significant ways. Heinz Guderian’s writings on mechanized war and Georgii Isserson’s work on deep operations introduced key concepts of maneuver warfare into the US style of warfare. Lastly, contemporary theorist Stephen D. Biddle’s “Modern System” provides a modern interpretation of warfare that emphasizes force employment and combined arms over technological or numerical superiority. These theorists not only made significant contributions to the development of the US Army’s theory of war and warfare, but also contributed to the development of operational art itself. The term “operational art” did not appear in Army Doctrine until 1986 with the publication of FM 100-5. Nevertheless, the concept predates this publication. Both Clausewitz and Jomini recognized the multi-leveled nature of war that transcended battlefield actions. They identified a separate art of “movement upon a map” and ordering of multiple tactical actions that, taken together, achieve an overarching objective.
Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the
This art analysis will define the theme of the universality of 20th century modern warfare in the context of modern works of art by David Levinthal and Roger de la Fresnaye. David Levinthal’s “Untitled” (1972) is commentary on the mass killing of modern warfare in the 20th century, which killed many millions of men during Hitler’s invasion of Europe. Levinthal’s childhood imagery of tanks, soldiers, and homes visualize the mass killing of war as a “universal” concept in the depiction of the modern psyche. Roger de la Fresnaye’s “Artillery” (1911) is also a commentary on cubist imagery that projects a military
In order to receive a victory in the Battle of the Bulge, General Patton used Mission Command Analysis in order to understand how he can be successful for this mission. The first thing of understanding t...
Cameron, R. S. (2003). The army vision: The 4th AD in world war II. Military Review, 83(6), 59-68
The Army incorporated the concept of design into doctrine to emphasize the importance of developing an appreciation of complex problems and ways to solve them before conducting detailed planning. Design’s holistic understanding of unique situations is reached through critical and creative thinking, mediated by discourse and drawings. ADM addresses a different approach to provide the ends, ways, and means to answer the commander’s question. The first part of this paper will explain how understanding the problem provides the initial approach framework. The second part will demonstrate how visualizing the problem allows the commander to conceptualize. The third and final part explores how understand...
Tzu, Mo. Against Offensive Warfare. Ed. Michael Austin. Reading the World: Ideas that Matter. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 254-255. Print.
The. United States Army. Army Doctrinal Publication 6-0. 2012. The. United States Army. Command and Control at Chancellorsville.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
The world’s history is majorly shaped by mega wars that happen both inside and outside the boundaries of individual nations. Almost every sovereign state in the world had to forcefully liberate itself from its colonizers and oppressors mainly through warfare. For instance, America had to fight a long and exhausting revolutionary war against the British before it could attain its independence in 1783, likewise is the fate of many other nations. It is important to understand the two distinct types of wars that exist and their implications. Guerrilla warfare and the conventional military warfare are two types of war that are very different in their execution and military approach. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the similarities and differences existing between the American war in Vietnam and the American Revolution (Vetter, 1997).
“Operational design is a journey of discovery, not a destination.” Operational design provides a framework, with the guidance of the Joint Force Commander (JFC), that staffs and planning groups can use to give political leaders, commanders, and warfighters a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the problems and objectives for which military forces will be committed, or are planned to be committed. Furthermore, operational design supports commanders and planners to make sense of complicated operational environments (often with ill-structured or wicked problems), helps to analyze wicked problem, and devise an operational approach to solve the problem in the context of the operational environment.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Joint Warfare Armed with numerous studies, and intensive public hearings, Congress mandated far-reaching changes in DOD organization and responsibilities under the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. This landmark legislation significantly expanded the authority and responsibility of the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Included in this expanded authority and responsibility was the requirement for the chairman to develop a doctrine for the joint employment of armed forces. As operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, and Desert Storm have vividly demonstrated, the realities of armed conflict in today's world make the integration of individual service capabilities a matter of success or failure, life or death. Furthermore, the operation Desert One demonstrated the need for a strengthened Joint Warfare Doctrine and the consequent change in Joint Warfare Employment.
According to Boyd, attrition warfare, such as what America practiced in Vietnam, was the employment of mass, firepower, and protection to reduce an adversary’s forces and capabilities, as well as seizing and holding terrain. Conversely, Boyd saw maneuver warfare as the creation, exploitation, and magnification of ambiguity, deception, novelty, fast transient maneuvers, and effort to enable disorientation, surprise, shock, disruption, and the loss of cohesion in an adversary. Ultimately, Boyd advocated for creative and rapid thought process that functions within the adversary’s decision-making cycle to accomplish maneuver warfare’s aims. Boyd used his presentation “Patterns of Conflict,” which surveyed war and warfare throughout the course of history, to portray these ideas, and he briefed any audience willing to
The first painting analyzed was North Country Idyll by Arthur Bowen Davis. The focal point was the white naked woman. The white was used to bring her out and focus on the four actual colored males surrounding her. The woman appears to be blowing a kiss. There is use of stumato along with atmospheric perspective. There is excellent use of color for the setting. It is almost a life like painting. This painting has smooth brush strokes. The sailing ship is the focal point because of the bright blue with extravagant large sails. The painting is a dry textured flat paint. The painting is evenly balanced. When I look at this painting, it reminds me of settlers coming to a new world that is be founded by its beauty. It seems as if they swam from the ship.
Samuel B. Griffith’s translation of “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” is an inside look at military practices of today. I did not find one technique that is not or would not be utilized in modern military maneuver, leadership, or training. The most astounding fact is that the Art of War was written well over two thousand years ago, even at the most conservative date. Although most of the techniques in this text are already in practice today, the value of “The Art of War” is a never-ending treasure chest of knowledge, and it deserves a place as a required reading for anyone seeking knowledge about war fighting or the history of war.