the british approach to operational art

THE BRITISH APPROACH TO

OPERATIONAL ART

Lt Col David Broadfoot MBE The Highlanders

Chief Instructor JSOC

THE BRITISH APPROACH TO OPERATIONAL ART

Part 1 – The Levels of warfare

Part 2 – The Characteristics of the Operational Level

Part 3 – The Campaign Plan

Part 4 – The basic principles of the Operational Art


Levels of Warfare

• The Grand Strategic

• The Military Strategic

‘The military objective should be governed by the political objective, subject to the basic

condition that policy does not demand what is militarily……impossible’

Liddell Hart


Levels of Warfare

• The Grand Strategic

• The Military Strategic

• The Operational

• The Tactical

THE 3 TESTS

• Is there a political imperative for action?

•Will/might the action achieve, or does the action have the possibility of achieving a decision that materially alters the situation in terms of the overall campaign?

•Might the action achieve a decision that materially assists in realising strategic goals?

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL

• Freedom of Action• Joint Operations• Multinational Operations• Concentration of Force• Media Dimension• Total Effect

The Campaign Planning Concepts

• End-state • Centre of Gravity (CoG)• Decisive Points (DPs)

Joint Activities• Lines of Operation • Sequencing and Phases• Branches and Sequels• Culminating Point• Operational Pause

The End-state

… that state of affairs which needs to be achieved at the end

of a campaign either to terminate or to resolve the conflict on favourable or

satisfactory terms …

JWP 5-00

The Centre of Gravity

That aspect of the adversary’s overall capability which, if attacked and eliminated, will lead either to his

inevitable defeat or his wish to sue for peace through negotiations

JWP 5-00

Alexander the Great had a strong army but a very weak navy; he identified in his campaign against the Persians that his success depended upon gaining control of the Mediterranean Sea and he determined that the Persian CoG was their shore bases. Securing those bases with his army …… meant that he was able to gain control over the sea without a naval battle ….

UKOPSDOC, Chapter 3

The Decisive Point

An effect, the successful outcome of which is a

precondition to unlocking the enemy’s CoG

Joint Activities

….a set of measurable activities that contribute to the achievement of a DP and involve assets or resources of one or more component

JWP 5-00

Lines of Operation

‘… a line linking decisive points in time and space on the path to the CoG.’

JWP 0-01.1

Sequencing and Phases

Sequencing is the arrangement of events within a campaign in the order most likely to achieve the

elimination of the adversary’s Centre of Gravity

JWP 5-00

Branches and Sequels

• Branches are options within a particular phase.

• Sequels provide options for the next phase.

Culminating Point

An operation or battle reaches its culminating point when the current

operation can just be maintained but not developed to any great

advantage.

JWP 5-00

Operational Pause

A periodic pause in operations while initiative is retained in other ways

JWP 0-01.1

PoliticalDirection

MilitaryDirective

WAYS(Mission and GuidanceOn use of resources)

ENDS(End-state, Military StrategicObjectives and Exit Strategy)

MEANS(Resources)

ESTIMATEReview SituationMission analysis

Evaluation of FactorsJTFC’s GuidanceCoA Development

Consideration of CoAJTFC Decision

CAMPAIGN PLAN

OpCoG

Operationalend-state

StrategicCoG

PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3

Strategicend-state

Line of OP DP DP

DP

DP

DP

DP DP DP

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11Line of OP

Line of OP

Line of OP

DP

Branch

Sequel

S

p

a

c

e

Other Lines of Operation

Culminating Point

Op pause

THE OPERATIONAL ART

“Tactics make the steps from which operational leaps are assembled,

strategy points out the path”

AA Svechin

Operational Art is

“the orchestration of allmilitary activities involved in convertingstrategic objectives into tactical actions

with a view to seeking a decisive result”

UTILISATION OF THE OPERATIONAL ART

• Identify the military conditions – or end state – that will achieve the strategic objectives

•Order activities, both sequentially and simultaneously, that lead to the fulfilment of the military condition – it is unlikely that the strategic objective can be achieved by a singleoperational gambit

•Apply the military resources allocated to him, within the constraints imposed upon him, to sustain the sequence of actions

•Identify the risks involved

OPERATIONALLEVEL

DECISIONMAKING

OPERATIONAL& TACTICAL

LEVEL ACTION

STRATEGICDIRECTION &RESOURCES

END-STATE

OPERATIONAL ART

Main and Supporting EffortsSupporting/Supported Commanders

Joint Co-ordination ProcessCampaign Effectiveness Analysis

Campaign Rhythm

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENTOperational Management seeks to achieve the greatest possible synergy, the required level of tempo, as well as

maintaining a clear focus, and judging the effect of actions on achieving the End-State.

OPERATIONAL COMMAND

OPERATIONAL ARTThe essence of

Operational Art is to identify beforehand what is going to be decisive, and the

shaping operations needed for success.

Operational Ideas COG Analysis

Campaign Fulcrum Decisive Act

OPERATIONAL DESIGNOperational Design

refines and develops the Operational Ideas and is

the way in which the JTFC expresses his

vision of how he sees the operation unfolding.

The Operational Estimate The Campaign Plan

Campaign Planning Concepts

THANK YOU

the british approach to operational art

Documents

operational artpart

operational levelpart

overall campaign

phases branches

campaign planpart

state of affairs

persian cog

set of measurable activities