Transcript Military Theory and Strategy (cont) Lsn 3 Agenda • • • • Forms of Maneuver Levels of War Elements of Operational Design Basic Army Elements.

Military Theory and Strategy
(cont)
Lsn 3
Agenda
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Forms of Maneuver
Levels of War
Elements of Operational Design
Basic Army Elements
Forms of Maneuver
Forms of Maneuver
• The five forms of maneuver are the
– envelopment,
– turning movement,
– infiltration,
– penetration, and
– frontal attack.
Envelopment
Envelopment
• The envelopment is a form of maneuver in which an
attacking force seeks to avoid the principal enemy
defenses by seizing objectives to the enemy rear to
destroy the enemy in his current positions.
• Envelopments avoid the enemy front, where he is
protected and can easily concentrate fires.
• Single envelopments maneuver against one enemy
flank; double envelopments maneuver against both.
Either variant can develop into an encirclement.
• Example: The Germans conducted a double
envelopment of the Russians in the World War I battle of
Tannenberg.
Turning Movement
Turning Movement
• A turning movement is a form of maneuver in which
the attacking force seeks to avoid the enemy's
principal defensive positions by seizing objectives to
the enemy rear and causing the enemy to move out
of his current positions or divert major forces to
meet the threat.
• A major threat to his rear forces the enemy to attack or
withdraw rearward, thus "turning" him out of his
defensive positions.
• Turning movements typically require greater depth than
other forms of maneuver.
• Example: The Inchon landing in the Korean War
Infiltration
Infiltration
• An infiltration is a form of maneuver in which an
attacking force conducts undetected movement
through or into an area occupied by enemy forces
to occupy a position of advantage in the enemy
rear while exposing only small elements to enemy
defensive fires
– Typically, forces infiltrate in small groups and reassemble to
continue their mission.
– Infiltration rarely defeats a defense by itself. Commanders
direct infiltrations to attack lightly defended positions or
stronger positions from the flank and rear, to secure key
terrain to support the decisive operation, or to disrupt enemy
sustaining operations.
– Example: Hutier tactics in World War I
Penetration
Penetration
• A penetration is a form of maneuver in which an
attacking force seeks to rupture enemy defenses
on a narrow front to disrupt the defensive system.
– Commanders direct penetrations when enemy flanks are not
assailable or time does not permit another form of maneuver.
Successful penetrations create assailable flanks and provide
access to enemy rear areas.
– Because penetrations frequently are directed into the front of
the enemy defense, they risk significantly more friendly
casualties than envelopments, turning movements, and
infiltrations.
– Example: Sherman’s Meridian Campaign and his March to
the Sea
Frontal Attack
Frontal attack
• The frontal attack is frequently the most costly form of
maneuver, since it exposes the majority of the attackers to
the concentrated fires of the defenders.
– As the most direct form of maneuver, however, the frontal attack is
useful for overwhelming light defenses, covering forces, or
disorganized enemy resistance.
– It is often the best form of maneuver for hasty attacks and meeting
engagements, where speed and simplicity are essential to
maintain tempo and the initiative.
– Commanders may direct a frontal attack as a shaping operation
and another form of maneuver as the decisive operation.
– Example: The Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War
Levels of War
• Strategic
• Operational
• Tactical
Levels of War
• Strategic
– Level at which a nation, often as a member of
a group of nations, determines national or
multinational strategic security objectives and
guidance, and develops and uses national
resources to accomplish these objectives
Example: The Allies’ Strategic
Objective for Europe in
World War II
• Combined Chiefs directed Eisenhower
to “enter the continent of Europe and, in
conjunction with other Allied nations,
undertake operations aimed at the heart
of Germany and the destruction of her
armed forces”
Levels of War
• Operational
– Level at which campaigns and major
operations are conducted and sustained to
accomplish strategic objectives within
theaters or areas of operation
– Link tactics and strategy
Example: Eisenhower’s
Operational Objective at Normandy
• Secure a foothold on the continent of Europe
from which to support offensive operations
against Germany
Levels of War
• Tactical
– Level at which battles and engagements are
planned and executed to accomplish military
objectives assigned to tactical units or task
forces
Example: Tactical Objectives of the
Airborne Forces on D-Day
• Secure exits from
the beaches to
allow the
amphibious forces
to move inland
• Block German
counterattack
routes to protect
amphibious forces
Strategy
• Strategy is the pursuit, protection, or
advancement of national interests through
the application of the instruments of power
• Instruments of power (DIME)
– Diplomatic
– Informational
– Military
– Economic
Traditional Military Strategies
• Attrition
– The reduction of the effectiveness of a
force caused by loss of personnel and
materiel
• Exhaustion
– The gradual erosion of a nation’s will or
means to resist
• Annihilation
– Seeks the immediate destruction of the
combat power of the enemy’s armed forces
Operations
• Campaigns are the operational extension
of the commander’s strategy
• They are a series of related military
operations aimed at accomplishing a
strategic or operational objective within a
given time and space
• Campaigns should be planned to adhere
to the “elements of operational design”
Elements of Operational
Design
Elements of Operational Design
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Synergy
Simultaneity and depth
Anticipation
Balance
Leverage
Timing and tempo
Operational reach and approach
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
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Forces and functions
Arranging operations
Centers of gravity
Direct versus indirect
Decisive points
Culmination
Termination
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Synergy
– Seek combinations of forces and actions to achieve
concentrations in various dimensions, all culminating in attaining
the assigned objective(s) in the shortest time possible and with
minimum casualties
– Example: In the US Civil War Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley
Campaign relieved pressure on Lee outside of Richmond.
• Simultaneity and depth
– Place more demands on adversary forces than can be handled
both in terms of time and space
– Example: Operation Just Cause (Panama) in 1989 involved
simultaneously attacking 26 separate locations.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Anticipation
– Remain alert for the unexpected and opportunities to exploit the
situation
– Example: Believing the Arab armies were poised to strike, Israel
launched a preemptive strike in the 1967 Six-Day War.
• Balance
– Maintain the force, its capabilities, and its operations in such a
manner as to contribute to freedom of action and responsiveness
– Example: The Allies decided on a “Germany First” strategy for
World War II.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Leverage
– Gain, maintain, and exploit advantages in combat
power across all dimensions
– Example: In World War I the Germans leveraged new
technology by waging unrestricted submarine
warfare.
• Timing and tempo
– Conduct operations at a tempo and point in time that
best exploits friendly capabilities and inhibits the
adversary
– Example: The German Blitzkrieg of World War II
maximized speed.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Operational reach and approach
– The distance over which military power can mass
effects and be employed decisively
– Example: In the Korean War, the North Koreans
overextend their operational reach making them
vulnerable to having their line of communications cut
at Seoul.
• Forces and functions
– Focus on defeating either adversary forces or
functions, or a combination of both
– Example: Sherman’s March to the Sea targeted
Confederate functions of war-making ability and while
at the same time Grant’s Overland Campaign
targeted Lee’s forces.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Arranging operations
– Achieve dimensional superiority by a combination of
simultaneous and sequential operations
– Phases: Deter/engage, Seize initiative, Decisive operations,
Transition
– Example: The coalition air campaign in Operation Desert Storm
created the conditions necessary for the ground campaign.
• Centers of gravity
– Those characteristics, capabilities, or sources of power from
which a military force derives its freedom of action, physical
strength, or will to fight
– Destroying or neutralizing adversary centers of gravity is the
most direct path to victory
– Example: The North Vietnamese effectively influenced the US
center of gravity of domestic support during the Vietnam War.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Direct versus indirect
– To the extent possible, attack centers of gravity directly, but
where direct attack means attacking into an opponent’s strength
seek an indirect approach
– Example: The North Vietnamese used guerrilla tactics to
neutralize the US firepower advantage in Vietnam.
• Decisive points
– Usually geographic in nature, but can sometimes be key events
or systems
– Give a marked advantage to whoever controls them
– Keys to attacking protected centers of gravity
– Example: Each of the bridges in Operation Market Garden in
World War II was a decisive point.
Elements of Operational Design
(cont)
• Culmination
– Point in time and space at which an attacker’s combat power no
longer exceeds that of the defender or the defender no longer
can preserve his force
– Example: Napoleon was defeated in Moscow in 1812 by
“General Winter.”
• Termination
– Military operations typically conclude with attainment of the
strategic ends for which the military force was committed, which
then allows transition to other instruments of national power and
agencies as the means to achieve broader goals
– Example: Transitioning from combat victory to a self-sustaining
democracy in Iraq proved illusive to US forces in Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
Basic Army Elements
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Squads
Platoons
Companies
Battalions
Brigades
– Regiments
• Divisions
• Corps
• Armies
Next
• The Seven Years’ War