Getting it Right: The Art of Strategy and Operational Warfare

Abstract : Today, the U.S. military approaches war as a corporate affair, requiring authoritative guidance to synchronize thought and action. To harmonize diverse activities toward a shared goal, joint doctrine seeks to provide a common perspective for joint, interagency, and multinational efforts. Doctrine, therefore, is the military's link to national political objectives. American military leaders point to the lack of collective doctrine as the culprit for poor performance in World War I. The military transformation that awoke America from its post-Vietnam malaise and forged today's joint force started with doctrine. Its success in harnessing diverse organizational abilities in the quest for national objectives depends on a number of factors; chief among them is providing a sound theoretical underpinning for arranging efforts. Joint doctrine should offer a useful mental model for the application of capabilities across the spectrum of operations and levels of war.