Striking A Balance Between Operational Art and Operational Craftsmanship

8/10/2018 Striking A Balance Between Operational Art And Operational Craftsmanship
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U.S. Army photo by Sta Sgt. Michael Lemmons
Striking A Balance Between Operational Art And Operational

Cra smanship
By BRAD HARDY (HTTPS://TASKANDPURPOSE.COM/AUTHOR/BRAD-HARDY/) on November 3, 2015 T&P ON FACEBOOK ×Like
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Modern operational art is linear and unexciting, even if sometimes e ective at achieve
strategic conditions.
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We in the Army love art — at least we love to say “art” when followed immediately with
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a veteran's
“and science.” The Army enjoys the duality of art and science shortcutmythical
to an almost to the hiring
level.
manager.
We apply it to our leadership philosophy of mission command
(http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp6_0.pdf). It has an art of
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command and science of control. Planning
https://taskandpurpose.com/striking-a-balance-between-operational-art-and-operational-craftsmanship/ 1/11
(http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp5_0.pdf)
0
     is an art and 
science. The Army’s Command and General Sta College o ers a master’s degree
(http://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/cgsc/mmas) in military art and science. Just
add “the art and science of” before any military term, and you may well be profound and
doctrinally grounded.
But what do we mean when we call something an art, especially when conducting military
operations? For its utility as a conceptual tool for planning everything from the tactical to
strategic, is operational art artistic or some kind of practiced professional tradecraft? What
makes one war operational art and another operational shlock?
Operational art is a cornerstone doctrinal concept that the Army and joint headquarters use
to plan everything from battalion-sized operations up to major campaigns. As such, its
de nition is so broad that it loses meaning. At the joint
(http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp3_0.pdf) level, operational art is “the use of
creative thinking by commanders and sta s to design strategies, campaigns, and major
operations and organize and employ military forces.” For the Army
(http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp3_0.pdf), operational art is
“the pursuit of strategic objectives, in whole or in part, through the arrangement of tactical
actions in time, space, and purpose.” It sounds good as a method to order military action to
achieve political goals, but operational art is not without its problems.
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(http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=939) that
operational art supplants the traditional role of civilian leadership: set strategy, design
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campaigns to realize them, and closely monitor the war’s conduct. “As war continues to
di use
0 across de nitional and conceptual boundaries and as enemies seek ways to exploit
      
democracy’s vulnerabilities, closing the gap between politics and the conduct of war is
becoming ever more important.” For them, the Joint de nition of operational art should be
civilian leaders’ true prerogative. The Army de nition is closer to what the military as a
whole should do.
Writing for the European Security and Defence Forum, Alexander Mattelaer agrees
(https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/ les/chathamhouse/public/Research/International%
that operational art doctrine separates the statesman from the general. Concepts such as
center of gravity and lines of operation — ideas largely unchanged since Carl von
Clausewitz and Antoine-Henri Jomini wrote on them over 150 years ago — limit a planner’s
creativity by relying on the collective, unchallenged wisdom of doctrine. The counter is that
even if current operational art does not allow for pure creativity and remains tethered to
doctrine, that same doctrine has to come from somewhere.
Looking backward, our modern doctrine has a necessary historical foundation that worked
back in the day and may have promise for the next con ict. Historian Dr. Robert Citino
(http://www.amazon.com/Blitzkrieg-Desert-Storm-Evolution-
Operational/dp/0700613005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444482068&sr=1-
1&keywords=blitzkrieg+to+desert+storm) argues that operational art — dependent on
creativity, talented leadership, and the legacy of Prussian Chief of Sta Helmuth von ×
Moltke — has a German origin that allowed for the Wehrmacht’s early World War II
successes. Historian Dr. Robert Epstein (http://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-Victory-
Emergence-Modern-Studies/dp/0700606645/ref=sr_1_1?
Stay up to date.
s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444493064&sr=1-1&keywords=napoleon%27s+last+victory)
takes an earlier perspective. For him, Napoleon’s cunning usesent to your inbox.
of distributed maneuver of
army corps, sequenced tactical engagements, and decentralized command through his
marshals allowed him to dominate European armies for several years.
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Historian Dr. Michael Matheny (http://www.amazon.com/Carrying-War-Enemy-
Operational-Commanders/dp/080614324X/ref=sr_1_1?
s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444481486&sr=1- a veteran's shortcut to the hiring
manager.
1&keywords=carrying+the+war+to+the+enemy) makes the case that America’s
contribution was not so much an operational art, but a formal operational level to war. U.S.
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military strengths, formed during the interwar period between world wars, pioneered
modern
0  joint operations, global power projection, and logistics that bridged war ghting to
      
war aims. American operational art may very well be a hybrid of these Napoleonic, Prusso-
German, and Second World War experiences. And this extensive line up says nothing of the
Soviet in uences (http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/070/70-89-1/cmhPub_70-
89.pdf) on the subject.
Regardless of the theory’s origin, they all have one thing in common: novelty. For
something to be considered operational art, at least by historians, military action must
pursue desired strategic conditions or war objectives in a way that no one else does,
particularly opposing belligerents. The functional or conceptual imbalances among
opponents listed above generated a competitive advantage that lead to initial success in
warfare, at least until everyone else caught up. Those unique military practitioners
established the state of the military art by forcing an evolution in how it was done into the
future. The Seventh Coalition evolved and caught up with Napoleon just as the Allies did
against the Axis powers. Striking this novel imbalance and using it to decisive e ect may be
the art in operational art. This raises a question, however. If that was then, what exactly is
the U.S. military doing now?
Current Army doctrine attempts to combine the collective wisdom with the experience and
creativity of a commander and sta to solve a military problem in the most logical way
possible. Yet when compared against historical precedent, modern doctrine doesn’t stand
out as the pursuit of novelty to strike an imbalance. The Army’s de nition, to pursue
strategic objectives through the arrangement of tactical actions, could be condensed to “get
×
the job done.” One could allow that this is how all militaries would want to win their wars.
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Nothing is new, so do it if it works. Modern operational art is linear and unexciting, even if
sometimes e ective at achieve strategic conditions (if they were only realistic and well
Get to
de ned). Most importantly, modern doctrine doesn’t seem our most popular
describe stories
operational art as an
art at all. It’s operational craftsmanship. sent to your inbox.
Art historian Laura Morelli (http://lauramorelli.com/about/) makes a solid distinction

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVdw60eCnJI) between art and craft. In the western
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humanities tradition, an artisan elevated to the role of artist by creating works that were
innovative to a point beyond basic utility. Art holds value dependent on individual creativity
a veteran's
and merit. Further, the artist is just as renowned as the pieces shortcut
he or she to the
creates. Wehiring
don’t
manager.
speak of just “David,” but Michelangelo’s “David” or van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” These
works stand for more than covering bare walls or oor space by generating thought,
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emotion, and an established new standard of human expression.
Art, whether
0 in the humanities
  or on the
 battle eld, innovates
 to the
point where therules

of the game change to accommodate it. The great military paradigm shifts mentioned above
changed the way militaries fought and the ways states built those militaries to wage war.
For instance, articulated corps, rarely used before, became the norm in western warfare
after Napoleon. Further, operational art from the historical examples ties directly to the
operational artists who authored them. Just like we say Michelangelo’s “David,” we say
Napoleon’s victories at Jena and Auerstadt or Moltke’s designs for the 1866 Austro-
Prussian War.
An artisan’s crafts, in comparison, adhere to a speci ed guild- or profession-de ned

tradition. Others judge and value those crafts by their consistency, quality, and utility. Many
may agree that ne furniture ts this bill. An Amish-constructed chair may be beautiful,
but in the end it’s just a chair. The president’s famous Resolute desk is just a work station. A
crystal chandelier is only a fancy light xture.
A craft merely scratches the itch of need. Beyond using some technology that’s existed for
decades, very little innovation is necessary, for instance, to bomb Islamic State ghters in
Syria and Iraq. Unfortunately, we have no household names for Operation Inherent
Resolve’s (http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve) lead
planners and executors. Despite these conditions, and the tenuous argument that airpower
can win wars, bombing in this situation is generating some
(http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/11/iraqi-claims-to-have-struck-the-
convoy-of-isil-leader-baghdadi.html) e ect (http://aranews.net/2015/10/kurds-arabs-
×
form-joint-military-force-to-combat-isis-in-syria/) even if not lending overwhelming,
immediate success. Modern operational art in this case is campaign design by precedent
(Vietnam-era Operation Rolling Thunder (http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-
Stay up to date.
Get in
war/operation-rolling-thunder) is uncomfortably familiar our most
this case)popular stories
just as the artisan’s
craft is a product of the guild and years of tradition. sent to your inbox.
Operational art, in its modern doctrinal construction, ts the craft description more than
art. But in most cases, this may not be a bad thing. In many cases, good old fashioned, blue-
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collar applications of force may be just what’s needed (or the only thing that can be done
given political constraints). Crafting operations and campaigns by using tried and true
methods is completely acceptable and understandable, if not shockingly
a veteran's new.
shortcut toIt gives
the some
hiring
manager.
predictability of results, resources necessary to conduct the campaign, and a common
framework for the Joint, interagency, and coalition partners. Ultimately, commanders and
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sta s0may
 not be ableor required

to use
 operational art
 in every sense and in every  
operation. But let’s call those situations what they are. It’s operational crafting, not art.
There is nothing innovative, but gets after the problem as best as possible.
To conclude, any criticism of operational art doctrine would ring hollow without a
recommendation. The Army’s new operating concept
(http://www.arcic.army.mil/Concepts/operating.aspx) provides an interesting alternative
by describing the imperative of creating multiple dilemmas for opponents. To compel an
enemy, the force must put “something of value to them at risk…[and] render enemies
incapable of responding e ectively.” The nature of operational art and even modern
warfare requires a commander to present multiple dilemmas to the opposing force while
minimizing one’s own dilemmas. Friendly dilemmas may involve problems of sustainment
or coalition, interagency, and host-nation constraints on operations.
Striking this balance in innovative ways is the art in operational art. Its goal is to present a
number of equally likely situations to an enemy and compel it to commit wholly to one
problem in the face of many or half-heartedly to several and risk failing at all. It allows for a
sense of artistry due to an open-ended number of possibilities to seek novelty and
advantage. It can incorporate current doctrinal concepts as well. This nal de nition of
operational art would be presenting an enemy with multiple dilemmas while limiting one’s
own through a creative campaigning and arrangement of military actions.
(https://taskandpurpose.com/author/brad-hardy/)
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Brad Hardy is an active duty Army o icer. The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect
those of the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Army.
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8/10/2018 Striking A Balance Between Operational Art And Operational Craftsmanship

U.S. Army photo by Sta Sgt. Michael Lemmons

Striking A Balance Between Operational Art And Operational

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Art historian Laura Morelli (http://lauramorelli.com/about/) makes a solid distinction

An artisan’s crafts, in comparison, adhere to a speci ed guild- or profession-de ned

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