KEY DOCTRINAL CONCEPTS and EMERGING DOCTRINE
a. General.
(1) General description of doctrine. Doctrine:
(a) Is the condensed expression of an army’s approach to warfare and support and stability operations (SASO).
(b) Is authoritative, but requires judgment in its application.
(c) Must be uniformly known and understood (and accepted).
(2) Role of doctrine. Doctrine:
(a) Is the statement of how the US Army, as part of a joint team, intends to conduct war and SASO.
(b) Facilitates communication between Army personnel.
(c) Establishes a shared professional culture and operational approach.
(d) Serves as a basis for curriculum in the Army school system.
(e) Sets the direction for modernization.
(f) Sets the standard for leadership development and soldier training.
(g) Must:
- Be able to accommodate a wider variety of threats.
- Be relevant to rapidly changing requirements.
- Reflect new technology and potential for future.
- Account for resources and force dispositions (force projection versus forward deployment).
NOTE: Unless therwise noted, paragraphs 1-2 through 1-9 and accompanying figures are from ST 100-40, Offensive and Defensive Tactics, 28 January 1999, and are not to be used for reference or citation.
1-2. A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW TOWARD THE ART AND SCIENCE OF WAR (ST 100-40)
The United States requires its Army to deal with conflict by deterring aggression, compelling adversaries, reassuring allies and friends, and providing support in times of crisis.
Army forces must be able to selectively apply all aspects of military power in any arena and under any foreseeable restraints. Tactics is the art and science of employing available means to win battles and engagements. It is the employment of units in combat. It is the ordered arrangement and maneuver of units in relation to each other, the terrain, and the enemy to achieve their full lethality.
The levels of war are doctrinal perspectives that clarify the links between strategic objectives and tactical actions. The tactical level of war is the level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to accomplish military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces. Activities at this level focus on the ordered arrangement and maneuver of combat elements in relation to each other and to the enemy to achieve combat objectives. An engagement is a small, tactical conflict between opposing maneuver forces, usually conducted at the brigade level and below. A battle is a series of related tactical engagements that last longer and involve larger forces than an engagement. Levels of command, size of units, types of equipment, or types of forces or components are not associated with a particular level of war.
The science of tactics encompasses the understanding of those military aspects of tactics --capabilities, techniques, and procedures -- that can be measured and codified. Mastery of the science of tactics is necessary for the tactician to understand the physical and procedural constraints under which he must work. However -- because combat is an intensely human activity -- the solution to tactical problems cannot be reduced to a formula. The art of tactics consists of three interrelated aspects: the creative and flexible array of means to accomplish missions, decision making under conditions of uncertainty when faced with an intelligent enemy, and understanding the human dimension -- the effects of combat on soldiers.
1-3. HASTY VERSUS DELIBERATE OPERATIONS (ST 100-40)
A hasty operation is an operation in which a commander directs his immediately available forces, using fragmentary orders (FRAGOs), to perform activities with minimal preparation, trading planning and preparation time for speed of execution. A deliberate operation is an operation in which a commander's detailed intelligence concerning the situation allows him to develop and coordinate detailed plans, including multiple branches and sequels, task organize his forces specifically for the operation to provide a fully synchronized combined arms team, conduct extensive rehearsals, and extensive shaping of the battlefield takes place. Most operations lie somewhere along a continuum between two extremes.
The commander must be able to choose the right point along the continuum to operate. His choice involves balancing several competing factors. The commander's decision to conduct a hasty or deliberate operation is based on his current knowledge of the enemy situation and his assessment of whether or not the assets available (to include time), and the means to coordinate and synchronize those assets, are adequate to accomplish the mission. Uncertainty and risk are inherent in tactical operations and cannot be eliminated. The commander should take the minimum time necessary in planning and preparation to ensure a reasonable chance of success. Reduced coordination at the start of the operation results in less than optimum combat power being brought to bear on the enemy, but often allows for increased speed and momentum. All else being equal, it is better to err on the side of speed, audacity and momentum than on the side of caution when conducting military operations. Bold decisions give the best promise of success; however, one must differentiate between calculated risks and a military gamble. A calculated risk is an operation in which success is not a certainty but which, in case of failure, leaves sufficient forces to cope with whatever situation s arise. A military gamble is an operation that can either lead to victory or to complete destruction of one's force.
An important factor in reducing a commander's risk is how much intelligence he has about the enemy. As intelligence becomes available, the commander determines where along the continuum he will operate to accomplish his mission. Risk reduction does not always mean increasing knowledge of the enemy at the expense of time. A commander can partially compensate for a lack of intelligence by being flexible in his troop dispositions through an increase in the security area, size and number of security units, and the size of the reserve. A commander can also adjust his movement formation or redirect the efforts of forces. Adjustments can create problems. Too many or too rapid changes in task organization, mission, and priorities can have negative effects on the plan, prepare, and execute cycle.
Figure 1-1.