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

THE BRITISH APPROACH TO 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

THE BRITISH APPROACH TO OPERATIONAL ART 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