Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat Article The United States Army

Table Of Content

• Using the Army Design Methodology Process to Frame Problems
• Army Design Methodology: Framing the Operational Environment
• Framing Solutions in Army Design Methodology
• The Army Design Methodology: Enhancing Decision-Making in a Complex World
• Army Design Methodology: Framing the Operational Environment
• Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat

On the micro-scale, LTC Moore’s only concern at Ia Drang was the NVA escaping across the border. He did not appear to consider the future states of Cambodian citizens, potential civilians in the area, or other actors to aid in understanding the OE. LTC Moore’s only concern was getting to the end state of destroying his adversary (Builder et al., 1999).

Effective Methodology - The Fayetteville Observer

Effective Methodology.

Posted: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Using the Army Design Methodology Process to Frame Problems

Framing the problem identifies obstacles impeding progress toward the commander’s desired end state. Framing activities help leaders frame a problem including reviewing the environmental frame, identifying problems and mapping out their relationships, and using a narrative and graphics to capture the problem frame (Department of the Army, 2015). The purpose of problem framing is to determine which obstacles are impeding the end state.

Army Design Methodology: Framing the Operational Environment

The data charts would serve as good visual modeling products and help the SGM formulate a narrative supporting the ADM process. Through data analysis, the Financial Management SGM can help train the staff on framing the problem using data analysis to identify obstacles. Using data analytics as a financial management example, visualizing the spending rate of an organization’s status of funds will determine if the commander’s end state is trending correctly. Framing the problem using ADM concepts, and tools and techniques is challenging, but the SGM is the right person to facilitate the ADM activity within an organization.

Framing Solutions in Army Design Methodology

Collaboration and dialogue between CDRs and staff create an important learning environment in which members can think critically and creatively with a candid and open exchange of ideas. “Collaboration and dialogue help develop shared understanding between the CDR and staff and externally with other CDRs and unified action partners” (DA, 2015, p. 1-7). For instance, collaboration and dialogue usually happen in working group meetings where participants exchange opinions and encourage competition of ideas. Both enhance understanding, improve group thinking, and eventually produce a better solution to solve a problem. The knowledge developed in working groups produces a frame of reference for developing solutions that help build a visual model and narrative.

The Army Design Methodology: Enhancing Decision-Making in a Complex World

Today’s military strategists and operational planners must be able to visualize the environment in all of its complexity to understand the competing actors and interests required in a shaping strategy. This ability to visualize actors and trends in time and space is known as operational art, further d... Tools and techniques of the ADM process include brainstorming, researching, mind mapping, meta-questioning, questioning assumptions, and four ways of seeing (Department of the Army, 2015). Brainstorming is a type of collaboration that generates keywords and initial ideas for further research and analysis. The analysis of ideas occurs when the planning team acquires more breadth and depth on the situation.

However, the ADM concept of operational art has a more considerable impact on the use of military force when combined with the concept of systems thinking. In 2008, the US Army published The U.S. Army Commander’s Appreciation and Campaign Design after leaders found that the Army frequently operates in highly complex environments. A lack of understanding side-effects and repercussions of their actions often reduced the effectiveness or exacerbated the issues at hand. To deal with this complexity, the Army had to adopt a new approach to solving ill-structured problems.

When an operational approach applies changes to parts of the system, this may produce a behavior or outcome that is favorable or unfavorable. For this reason, critical thinking and systems thinking are essential when planning an operational approach to have a good outcome. Planners use the elements of operational art, the understanding gained from the OE, and problem frames, to formulate a possible operational approach. An example that illustrates these activities happened in the battle between Ukraine and Russia. Davydenko et al. (2022) reported that Ukraine’s military identified Russia’s COG and applied an indirect approach by targeting its logistics hub as a decisive point to weaken its COG. Ukraine’s military devised lines of operations against all supporting elements of Russia’s combat troops to diminish their capabilities, by seizing key terrains and continuous refinement of their operational approach to keep their advantage against Russia.

Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat

Army Field Manual 5-0: The Operations Process (U.S. Military) - MoMA

Army Field Manual 5-0: The Operations Process (U.S. Military).

Posted: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Second, it will discuss organizational characteristics essential for making ADM useful and explore them through historical and theoretical examples showing the unique value of ADM. According to DA (2015), critical thinking uses questioning, reflective judgment, and appreciation of differences that make each situation unique. In contrast, creative thinking creates innovative ideas that lead to new perspectives and approaches to a situation. An example of applying critical and creative thinking is when staff members analyze different solutions that best solve an identified problem. For instance, Ducich et al. (2016) described that the PATT initially thought of a progressive, linear approach to training. Upon further analysis, the team adopted a spiral development approach to achieve a better end state.

Soldiers attending the Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) use practical exercises in a small group setting to help develop graphics and narratives depicting framing a problem to prepare for future positions as senior enlisted advisors. In addition to practical exercises, Soldiers attending the SGM-A receive instructions on ADM concepts such as operational art and systems thinking to help reinforce framing problems and framing activities. As the senior enlisted advisor within a financial management organization, the Financial Management SGM is responsible for coordinating and providing fiscal assets to commanders. A significant part of financial management operations revolves around managing budgetary resources within the OE, often involving data analytics (Department of the Army, 2014). A Financial Management SGM can facilitate framing the problem in an organization using regression models and predictive analysis when reviewing data.

American leaders took into consideration the future state of the NVA and acted to prevent it. According to Builder et al. (1999), Americans in Vietnam considered themselves superior to the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and did little to understand the situation in depth. Americans believed that the most challenging part of the war was finding the enemy to destroy them.

These ideas allowed the design team to look at many past operations in Afghanistan and develop better ways of executing them with a plan to sustain the progress and momentum. Depending on the size of the team, members potentially had as many as five specific categories that required in-depth research to understand the complexity of the subject matter. Tactical and policy-level decision-making in the armed forces and larger government institutions adheres to a collaborative paradigm.

A systems perspective identifies relationships between groups, networks, governments, multinational corporations, etc., and how they may alter the OE (Department of the Army, 2015). The Army Design Methodology is a strategic and very intense 10-lesson design course grounded in theory, history, philosophy, and doctrine. During the seminar, Duke Leaders learned how to apply critical and creative thinking skills to understand, visualize, and describe complex, ill-structured problems and how to develop approaches to solve them. Design has been carried forward into the August 2012 ADP 5-0 and ADRP 5-0 as "Army Design Methodology", which is complementary to the MDMP and Troop Leading Procedures. As referenced in ADP 5-0, The Army design methodology is a methodology for applying critical and creative thinking to understand, visualize, and describe unfamiliar problems and approaches to solving them (emphasis included in ADP).

According to the Department of the Army (2022b), unit leaders are responsible for creating professional development programs that enhance understanding of mission-critical tasks. Operational art relies on the knowledge, experience, and creativity of the commander and staff to understand the current state of the OE and how to integrate capabilities to achieve victory (Department of the Army, 2015). The American command employed operational art by identifying which resources would best achieve the end state.

MAJ Raymond M. Longabaugh is currently serving as the Train Advise Assist Command-East G4 in Afghanistan. He previously served as a sustainment planner in the G5 of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Millsaps College, a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina State University, and a master’s in military art and sciences from the U.S. During his career, MAJ Longabaugh served with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, the 82nd Airborne Division, the Defense Logistics Agency, and 3rd Army Headquarters. Master Sergeant Rodani Tan is a Senior Finance Manager who deployed multiple times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

These activities help ensure that the operational approach is feasible for further detailed planning development. Reviewing the environmental and problem frames before developing an operational approach is critical in ensuring that the data collected is still applicable and current. For instance, staff must review whether conditions in the OE are still the same whenever operations start, to ensure that desired effects are still achievable.