By Too Many Names - Operational Momentum.

Current United States Armed Forces' operational literature and doctrine uses various terms to convey a concept of operational momentum. These terms are not standardized, formally defined, nor are they used to convey a singular meaning within the same manual or treatise. This paper attempts to fulfill two purposes. First, using the concept of operational momentum it demonstrates the utility and importance of agreed upon and commonly understood terms and concepts. Second, it maintains that there is validity and utility in a concept of operational momentum. It argues that historically and in current military thought there is a generally agreed upon, but often ambiguously expressed, idea of momentum that has application for the practitioner of the operational art. The paper proposes the following definition: OPERATIONAL MOMENTUM: The employment of sustained mass (forces or effect); at a sustained rate; in innovative ways that achieve mental dominance; and exceeds the opponents ability to react in time, space, or mass. This definition is predicated on four essential elements; motion, sustainment, initiative, and mass. The paper traces the historical association of these four elements with a concept of momentum. The paper concludes that there is a requirement for standardized definitions of critical operational terms and concepts, and that operational momentum is a critical concept. It further concludes, that the operational level of war is fundamentally concerned with maintaining or gaining momentum. Operational momentum, Operations, Momentum, Operational terminology, Joint terminology, Doctrine