The Evolution of Operational Art. From Napoleon to the Present

Epilogue General Sir Rupert Smith DISTANT PAST For as long as men have fought against one another in organized bands, we can see ...

sent to do, and, should he fail, to limit the cost. Furthermore, he came to realize that strategy and tactics have no value in t ...

tactical and technical abilities. The strategy emanated from the kings and emper- ors advised by their courts. And it was often ...

tactical skill. Flair, originality, and boldness were usually expressed in engineering and logistical terms. At about the same t ...

what we would now call joint maritime operations became a possibility. Hitherto the use of naval and land forces were essentiall ...

the particular that is different from strategy and tactics by either redefining strategy or naming it as a superior form of tact ...

the airplane did the same for the air and, just as with the sea, actions in one environment could greatly enhance actions in the ...

The first is that there has to be an opponent; the operational art can only be expressed in relation to, and in the face of, an ...

means—these include, for example, diplomatic, political, economic, social, and legal measures. A confrontation occurs when two o ...

timeless (protracted), (e)thepartiesfightsoastonotlosetheforce,and(f) new uses are being found for old weapons and organizations ...

The fifth trend is that we fight to preserve the force. No commander wants to suffer any more casualties to his men and equipmen ...

The forces and agencies deployed are usually provided by a number of different states, IGOs, and NGOs. Each has its own strategi ...

want him to have them. But he will not have them at the point of your bayonet or in the form and way that suit your cultural and ...

terms of space, objective, opponent, forces, and resources allocated. While these remain viable criteria, others have now to be ...

Even as this chapter is being written, an example of this theatre is being acted out. The Indian security forces are dealing wit ...

To summarize, the situation today is that the form of war has changed from industrial war to war amongst the people. All our ins ...

found with Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Other causes are in the form and nature of each state, its governmental institutions, and ...

and shareholder would grant authority to the executive bodyover its contribution or investment and confine its strategic debate ...

So, if in the future we had made these adaptations, we might define operational art as: the theatre director conducts his comman ...

Notes on Contributors Dr Antulio J. Echevarria IIis associate professor and the director of research at the Strategic Studies In ...