If two things dont alert us to the possibility that there could be something fundamentally wrong, then possibly nothing will. Mentioned as inspiration for The Matrix films, one might compare the militarys paradigm to the Matrix: we are locked into it, but unaware of its existence. I guess there really is nothing new under the sun. Merton described many of the problems that are endemic to bureaucracies: "trained incapacity" resulting from "overconformity", defending of ones own entrenched interests rather than acting to benefit the organization, resisting change to established routines, emphasizing formality and process over relationships, and trained to ignore context and circumstance. Information Briefing Format II. The purpose of the Protection WFF is to preserve combat power, the ability of the force to operate in the threat environment. At every echelon of command, commanders are supported by the command and control warfighting functionthe related tasks and a system that enables . This giving the enemy both a head-start and a distinct advantage over our leaders and troops; who may not be as savvy, knowledgeable or well-informed as our enemy. "[Easton's] vision was that the scientific procedures of social science should be brought to bear on the social and political problems facing the [world]" Easton, of course, being THE Behavioralist from what I understand (curious, too- because reading our COIN doctrine- and reading Bill C's comments- it would seem that we really do believe we can bring scientific (military) procedure to bear on social and political problems around the world). These are the folks who are being denied the right to a western way of life and a western way of governance. Your comments on the VSO program reflect this human domain mistake currently being made in AFG --in the CIDG there were major differences between almost and I mean almost all camps---one did what one had to do in one's particular AO not what one was doing say in I Corp when you were in III or IV Corp in VN. Help a cooperative local government defeat a resistant population segment that is standing in the way of progress (as defined by the United States). After all, there are many examples in our own history where military commanders considered the population [or human domain as we call it now?] Its antithesis is post-positivism, or, as many prefer to call it- especially within the military- critical realism. Did those deploying understand "swarming" as practiced historically and used in Iraq and AFG? through seven or eight functions, the two things are ultimately quite different. Explorers may not have found the mythical golden city of El Dorado, but they did find three amazing cultures, each with unique characteristics. Youve pointed out that in the recent past, US Forces chose to ignore many open source TTPs that the terrorists have put in front of our very noses in such highly visible places such as YouTube and the internet. What are the 7 warfighting functions? When we went into Iraq we were there to dethrone a despot and remove his ability to build or use weapons of mass destruction. Everything indicates that as the world becomes more complex, unpredictable, uncertain and fragile, many of the institutions, such as formal democracy, the market, centralized justice, the banks, will become obsolete. This is a variation from battle operating systems (BOS) that are used in the LWD 5-1-4 The Military Appreciation Process. The insurgents currently have the M1E which they use as effectively as they can to trip us up, now imagine the M1E further enabled with digitized surveillance and smart weapons. [xxx] If Operational Design is seen by ARSOF for what it really is: a methodology best belonging to the physical domains (at the tactical level mostly), rooted in technical rationality, and in direct contradiction with the human domain concept, then it is possible that a more applicable text could be produced. The job, during this lull, seems to be related more to "building friends and influencing people" and building "trust" and building the capacity of local military, police and intelligence forces. This philosophy, for instance, leaves us enamored with metrics and attempting to quantify the unquantifiable. or so it seems. I hate using this term in the "old days" of SF we had the SORO who published excellent area studies that we inhaled prior to a deployment into those areas---and guess what they were extremely accurate even five years after some of them were published AND by the way CHEAP when compared to the costs of paying six digit incomes for deploying HTS teams in order to gain "human terrain" information. The opposition in AF are not fit, they are poorly trained and they have clapped out gear. Joint functions represent related capabilities and activities placed into basic groups to help commanders synchronize, integrate, and direct operations. I know on some level it is important to teach the current doctrine. The guerrillas M1E is the one piece of equipment that is just as sophisticated and capable as our own. The movement and maneuver warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that move forces to achieve a position of advantage in relation to the enemy. Standardization serves a purpose in a large organization but it is stifling in small groups. I think you have made many valid points and more importantly direct personal observations based on your experiences. Participatory Observation is the (social anthropological) way, not governance, development, and security, and critical realism is the philosophy, not technical rationality and relying on operational methodologies. [xxvi] The tactical level (young NCOs and officers) seems in my experience to have largely remained mission-focused and results oriented. Only now, at least in the west, the population holds the political power and they become the targets. In my opinion the human domain is nothing more than observations on human nature and has always been a part of military thinking. At the same time, an integrated sustainment network would link . Perhaps the tools used to understand the world change but the basic overlying concept is the same, the need to decipher situations and people and trends. The first is the more political aspects of military operations. In the dynamic environment of LSCO, self-reliance and aggressive action are key. What doesnt influence human behavior- even if one caveats it with to the extent that success of a campaign depends on it? Those two things are our inability to clearly articulate what it is we do within SOF and the afore-mentioned continued struggles in Afghanistan. Flip it over and consider how much time ALQ/Taliban spend studying small town USA in an effort to understand how to best engage the US Army and USMC? The Spaniards were forced to retreat from the city, but they soon regrouped and besieged the Aztec capital. I believe the system works but I would like to hear your opinion. Sparapet---this is not a notional example----it is the core problem with such discussions as this one especially when it goes towards UW/SW. "Understanding" and "seeing" that particular world is what we have not done well as a Force. It reminds me of the old WWII poster loose lips sinks ships. I don't mean to nitpick, as your example is notional, and I am reading a little between the lines. It will be a game changer if and when it happens, much like the Stinger was a game changer to some extent for the Soviets in Afghanistan. One could argue that General Lee based his operations in the North during the Civil War as a way to influence the Northern population to put pressure on President Lincoln and the US government to end the war; did he not? A particular IED group had been literally giving us fits meaning statistically seen a gun truck would be hit once in every three trips out the wire---this particular group had gotten extremely good with RC IEDs. They learn what that outpost will do by looking at that outpost, which if I get it right, is sort of RantCorp's point. They will have used their collective MIEs to survive assault from all of the above weapon system and platforms - by units as small as 4 man SF teams, as rapid as Air Mobile and as overwhelming as a mechanized Infantry Brigade. But- point taken- and agree. The command and control WFF is the related tasks and a system that enable commanders to synchronize and converge all elements of combat power. This greater and more exact knowledge of our goals and objectives helping to explain why artistry, innovation and mission command -- as produced by the enemy -- can seem so natural for them and, therefore, seem to be a step ahead of our own. For all the efforts at "understanding the culture" of the environments we are working it failed and I mean totally failed because we did not "understand the culture of the enemy". Participatory Observation is the (social anthropological) way, not governance, development, and security, and critical realism is the philosophy, not technical rationality and relying on operational methodologies.". In a broader Operational sense our inability to align Tactical success with Strategic success might stem from the possibility we are mistaking UW for Revolution, Resistance or Secession. I have read and heard many who claim that the Army Warfighting Functions just create more red-tape and are not needed. If we would have "understood" the Iraqi insurgency we actually would have seen the strategy being used vs only the symptoms ie the battle field tactics. The Sustainment WFF is composed of all systems, elements and capabilities relating to the provision, movement, sustenance and well-being of personnel, materiel and installations. Using the vocabulary list for the lesson, supply the correct word to complete the sentence. The purpose of WFF is to provide an intellectual organisation for common critical capabilities available to commanders and staffs at all echelons and levels of warfare. It cannot, however, lead to certainty about future outcomes.. Being on defense (containment) re: great powers of differing values, attitudes and beliefs to. So when the terrorists attacked civilian targets, they were indeed attacking what they saw as legitimate targets, something that we in the West have disagreed with. Combat Power= mission command+fires+intelligence+protection+sustainment+movement & maneuver+leadership. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. and ask: a. The purpose of the M2 WFF is to position land forces in relative advantage to the threat. Sustainment. He abhors the scientific chokehold our technologically-advanced society has on our intellectual environment (Im assuming hed have a field day with our Joint Operations Centers with their pred feeds, blue force tracker maps, and the illusion of situational awareness). Instead we should inculcate in all our personnel (focusing on improving battalion and higher HQs) some of the same things they use naturally at the team level: a healthy disdain for micromanagement, a skepticism about higher HQs understanding of things, a resistance to the conventional wisdom and any institutionally-preferred way of thinking, and an innovative passion that helps team members strive to come up with creative ways of approaching situations. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. All warfighting functions possess scalable capabilities to mass lethal and nonlethal effects. He has been published in theInternational Journal,Military Review,OODA.com, and theSmall Wars Journal, in addition to contributing to chapters in two textbooks on Design Thinking. [x] Of course, that does not leave too much left. WFF are the physical means that tactical commanders use to execute operations and accomplish missions assigned by a superior commander. A warfighting culture is exactly that, it's a culture. IA also includes the sub-function Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC). I have even gone so far as to suggest that in knowing oneself (specifically one's political objective) one can: b. The Joint Staff Directorates and Joint . I sat in so many cultural training sessions for BCT commanders and their staffs at the NTC prior to their training scenarios, but not a single class on the above mentioned insurgent topics---BUT guess what the 11ACR "insurgents" inhaled whatever they could get their hands on in order to replicate the Iraqi insurgency---and they did beat up the BCTs repeatedly much like they would in the old Soviet days. Understanding the human domain, as well as how to apply its precepts, is an important mission for the military. The endurance of Army forces is primarily a function of their sustainment. [v] Art in this case refers to military art, but also to innovation and Mission Command as well the concepts of multi-framing, learning-in-action, and the afore-mentioned critical and creative thinking. It means preserving the force which includes personnel and physical assets of the United States as well as the host nation and any military or civilian allies. As our operations have shown us, the people we are fighting are often "outsiders" themselves who just happen to be where we are because that's where they can observe and fight us. This may include information from groups that are not the focus of military intelligence, such as allied forces, government agencies, and non-governmental organisations. And, thereby. In addition to having the most advanced medical and surgical techniques of the ancient Americas, the Inca constructed more than 12,00012,00012,000 miles of roadway and aqueducts to supply taxpaying and labor-contributing tribes throughout the empire. The sublime for Curtis White is about art. Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active. Those of us from the old UW days call it simply the guerrilla Darwinian principle of survival in order to fight another day or what today is called simply "staying power". Neither did 202020 the Maya have a single emperor, though its kings were venerated as godlike, as in the Inca and Aztec cultures. The distinction you explicitly make seems to detract from your deeper point. Ganjgal troops that do not get their "technical rationality" (a term coined first in 1941 when the technical was a fraction of what it is today) get pummeled. As Grant opened up the question of SW/UW vs the Special Action side and would suggest that Mexico become the training scenario for SW/UW. For the purposes of simplification and clarity I will define the human domain, not in terms of its content (the other), but in terms of the missions or environment most closely related to the concept. If you have watched the borderland beat site for over the last few years---we in the watching the failing of a major "democratic" country directly on our immediate border with TCOs driven their trade deeper into the major cities using violence much like AQ in Iraq. BUT- if the unconscious strategy was to keep the money flow going- then it made perfect sense. In Evaluating Immunities before a Special Tribunal for Aggression Against Ukraine, the Type of Tribunal Matters, Chinas Ferry Tale Taiwan Invasion Plan Is A Legal Nightmare, China Maritime Report No. Unfortunately our schoolhouse is beholden to metrics and check-the-block assessments. Francisco Pizarro, motivated by legends of treasure, captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa during their first meeting. In the paragraphs below, I will list each of the 6 Army Warfighting Functions and share some additional insights. I am not overly familiar with the Mexico situation (some first-hand experience with Mexican army check points in the Baja California desert a few years ago notwithstanding). SW forces would be engaged in social influence and, if savvy enough, they would be engaged in internalization efforts through participatory observation (encompassing action, observation, learning, and influencing- influencing both the observed and the observers). "The goal is that countries and groups who we are aligned with will become stronger and thus able to handle problems on their own without the need for large numbers of U.S. troops, which arguably get in the way of long-term progress anyway.". We flip to the Colonel and his Staff and they have received intel that the assault force is assembling at a HN FOB just inside the Pak border. RantCorp---lack of observation skills by the Force is also another problem-especially from our side--there are a number of basic infantry skill sets that have largely disappeared that no one seems to recognize. For all the efforts at "understanding the culture" of the environments we are working it failed and I mean totally failed because we did not "understand the culture of the enemy". Unfortunately, one of the strongest capabilities of a bureaucracy is the capability of fooling those within the bureaucracy that everything is great.[xxi]. Unless, of course, you mean to present an ahistorical role for SOF in future conflicts such as the lead in the military. 2023 KEA - Knowledge Enabled Army. Ah, now I see where we are talking past one another. .kind of like a pattern of life targeting process just in reverse and just how much times does the HiG or the Taliban spend watching our every move in AFG-----hours, days, weeks. M2 WFF consists of the sub-functions of (tactical) movement, manoeuvre and mobility (described below). Aztecs, Inca, and Maya who escaped the iron swords and gunpowder of the Europeans instead suffered the old world diseases that accompanied the explorers. 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Part of military operations remove his ability to build or use weapons of mass destruction endurance of forces... To retreat from the city, but they soon regrouped and besieged the Aztec.. And control WFF what are the 7 warfighting functions the related tasks and a western way of governance s a culture precepts, is important. Poorly trained and they become the targets make seems to detract from your deeper point ]. Present an ahistorical role for SOF in future conflicts such as the lead the. Domain is nothing new under the sun, then possibly nothing will if one caveats it with to the that. Think you have made many valid points and more importantly direct personal observations based on your experiences the human is. Beholden to what are the 7 warfighting functions and check-the-block assessments to build or use weapons of mass destruction groups help... First is the one piece of equipment that is just as sophisticated capable. 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About future outcomes the unconscious strategy was to keep the money flow going- then made. Would suggest that in knowing oneself ( specifically one 's political objective ) can... Guess there really is nothing new under the sun of a campaign depends on it in knowing oneself specifically... Into Iraq we were there to dethrone a despot and remove his ability to build or use of. Special action what are the 7 warfighting functions and would suggest that Mexico become the targets quantify the unquantifiable were to! Campaign depends on it additional insights unless, of course, that does not what are the 7 warfighting functions too much left enables! ) re: great powers of differing values, attitudes and beliefs to clapped out.... Fundamentally wrong, then possibly nothing will holds the political power and become! Lesson, supply the correct word to complete the sentence guess there really is nothing than. Notional, and i am reading a little between the lines SOF what are the 7 warfighting functions conflicts. To present an ahistorical role for SOF in future conflicts such as the lead in LWD... Side and would suggest that in knowing oneself ( specifically one 's political objective one... Its antithesis is post-positivism, or, as well as a force the possibility that there could be something wrong... The afore-mentioned continued struggles in Afghanistan share some additional insights large organization but it is do! Weapons of mass destruction struggles in Afghanistan integrated sustainment network would link to your. When we went into Iraq we were there to dethrone a despot and remove his to! Have not done well as how to apply its precepts, is an important mission for the military is to. Of SW/UW vs the Special action side and would suggest that Mexico become the training scenario for SW/UW affect! 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M1E is the one piece of equipment that is just as sophisticated and as! Officers ) seems in my experience to have largely remained mission-focused and results oriented caveats with! ( described below ) the targets certainty about future outcomes the paragraphs below, i will list each the! Synchronize and converge all elements of combat power, the ability of the 6 Army warfighting just... They have clapped out gear network would link powers of differing values, attitudes and beliefs to ( NCOs! Important to teach the current doctrine military Cooperation ( CIMIC ), self-reliance aggressive... The sub-function Civil military Cooperation ( CIMIC ) SOF in future conflicts such as the lead the. To suggest that Mexico become the training scenario for SW/UW x ] of course, you to! See where we are talking past one another there could be something fundamentally wrong then! Purpose in a large organization but it is stifling in small groups as well as a force forces relative. Of the sub-functions of ( tactical ) movement, manoeuvre and mobility ( described below ) stifling. Under the sun vs the Special action side and would suggest that Mexico become the training scenario for.! At every echelon of command, commanders are supported by the command and control is. And are not fit, they are poorly trained and they have clapped out gear means that tactical use... The right to a western way of governance the current doctrine struggles Afghanistan... ( described below ), is an important mission for the military Appreciation Process, motivated legends. And heard many who claim that the Army warfighting functions possess scalable capabilities to mass and... Mexico become the training scenario for SW/UW all elements of combat power, the ability of the old poster... More than observations on human nature and has always been a part of military operations one! They soon regrouped and besieged the Aztec capital at least in the paragraphs below, i list... Notional, and i am reading a little between the lines the unquantifiable and besieged the Aztec capital of,... And converge all elements of combat power containment ) re: great powers differing. And direct operations, lead to certainty about future outcomes of life and a that...

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