So, as you said, I think this dividing of knowledge is strange , it's all pieces of the puzzle to me, the math and engineering and social facts, as you say. Not a single CF BCT going through the NTC or where in Iraq fully "understood" how the enemy thought, acted, eat, slept, communicated with themselves and outside related groups AND the local population---much in the concept of Kilcullen's "ecosystem". It was designed to break the will of the population and force the Churchill to sue for peace. One would have thought that after three years of war (2003-2006) we could have provided formal insurgency classes to the deploying CF on strategy, fighting tactics, who were the various groups and the interrelationships between the groups--LONG before the CF deployed and who then needed six to nine months of actually being on the ground in Iraq to stumble/bumble their way into the knowledge. [x] Of course, that does not leave too much left. Those soldiers who operate in this domain must grasp very complex subjects and thus relying on linear methodologies, rote regurgitation of training objectives and using doctrine to understand (vice communicate) will not get us there. The other way arguably leads towards relatively smaller budgets, less technology and platforms, and possibly developing proprietary systems and processes that both allow a closer relationship with conventional forces while at the same time preserving what has made SOF special in the past. The Marine Corps defines the fires warfighting function as "Fires harass, suppress, neutralize, or destroy in order to accomplish the targeting objective, which may be to disrupt, delay, limit, persuade, or influence. 25: More Chinese Ferry Tales: China's Use of Civilian Shipping in Military Activities, 2021-2022, Hospital Ships: A Vital Asset for SOUTHCOM and South American Navies, The Goshen Massacre and the Specter of Cartel Spillover Into the US, Dangerous Alliances: Russias Strategic Inroads in Latin America, Year Ahead Emerging Technologies and the Collection of Battlefield Evidence, How Does Matter Matter In International Conflict and Security? Operational art for SOF should touch on the key components of the sublime and not on a methodology for approaching operational design. The most obvious way to seize and maintain the initiative is to strike first and keep striking. The Aztecs, noted perhaps most often for their penchant for battle and human sacrifice, composed the second-largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America. A warfighting function (WFF) is a group of tasks and systems united by a common purpose that commanders use to accomplish missions and training objectives. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The CIMIC aspect of the IA WFF is composed of all systems, capabilities and elements tasked to support or otherwise engage with the non-military communities, including dedicated CIMIC units. "Yet no matter how much we may focus on the diversity of opinions, customs, attitudes and interests within each community, in the end it is not the diversity that defines the conflict but the conflict that defines social attitudes that are widely shared.". As one would expect, the challenge that one faces in these such endeavors are states and societies being, in the interim period, in a significant state of turmoil, as they attempt to work their way through these difficult transitions. Then he tries again and again all with the same strange detonation patterns---now he gets serious and pulls his team in again and asks the question to them "what has changed on the American side". And it does in fact represent a number of UW deployments by ODAs in th 60/70s. Today is the hour for citizen self-management. replace any of the time-tested warfighting functionsit will enable each of them. IE SF was successful along with African Union forces in chasing down M23 but did they anticipate the creation of militant warlords replacing M23? This is distinct from a highly skilled practitioner of a set of skills (I.e. Under democratic theory the political power rested with the people. I call this approach the sublime[xxxiv], borrowing the term from Curtis Whites book wherein he implores America to turn away from assuming science holds the answer to everything and instead to be antagonists to the status quo in intellectual orthodoxy [and to be] advocates for change[xxxv], And so we are stuck in an awful position: we want our cake (a 7th WfF) and we want to eat it too. They could learn nothing at all about what the people in a platoon outpost are likely to do by looking at small town America. And SOF seems to be making its 21st Century reputation on conventional warfare on steroid rather than on unconventional type work. 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. d. On the other hand, if the liberal/pro-western reform folks are in power, then you are probably embarked upon a war to help this friendly/cooperative government defeat the more conservative elements within the state and society, to wit: those who are resisting our and their governments' efforts to transform the state and society more along modern western lines. Doctrine applied to the physical domains- made up of explicit knowledge- makes sense in some areas. It borders on a religion and has been rejected by most disciplines (http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/positvsm.php). Scientific experimentation, metrics, and logic can normally be applied to understand most of the mechanics of that type of phenomenon. I'd say that the art of the sublime would help us in that we would not shy away from admitting these things. [iv] Special Warfare encompasses unconventional warfare and other activities within the human domain. movement of forces for the purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy in order to accomplish our objectives. In this manner, it is believed, we can continue to work to "transform" others, even in these times of austerity and achieve "staying power" through the training up and use of surrogates. The purpose of the Sustainment WFF is to maintain the forces freedom of action. Every village that does not have the safety and security of the institutions that were formed to do so, can be armed in self-defense of their rights, their property, their lives. And it goes to the point that one must understand one's enemy within that specific event as they are an agile portion of the population that one is concerned about and they have their reasons which we might not even begin to understand. Other reasons include the drawdown in manpower and money as well as the way the military institution uses concepts to try to align disparate and bureaucratic organizations towards a common goal.[xv]. In U.S. doctrine there are today seven joint functions: intelligence, movement and maneuver, fires, information, protec- tion, sustainment, and C2. The so-what of all this is that the military has now developed a system that is largely run by bureaucracy and ruled by process. The precise, intricate stonemasonry of Inca pyramids, fortresses, and walls commands the respect of even modern masons. Human populations, however, are characterized by different viewpoints and limiting oneself to only one view of the world can be disastrous if trying to make sense of things and initiate a desired effect. "I did not want to recall how many negative comments were made by countless officers about how stupid the insurgents were when in fact they are still in the fight and we are long gone from Iraq.". It accomplishes this by acquiring, processing and providing information and intelligence on the current and future situation in order to support effective decision making. If one is a Positivist, of course, there is no reason to know oneself- as if one follows the scientific method, one is objective and above "self" Madhu---would totally disagree that ecosystem is a buzz word---it has been used in the science world for years when describing say a animal or plant or organism problem, issue or solution. At worst they are used as paradigms with which our force must use when thinking about, planning for, and acting during operations. A WFF is a group of tasks and systems (people, organizations, information, and processes) united by a common purpose that commanders use to accomplish missions and training objectives (FM 3-0). They do not need to go to small town America to watch us they have us in their country to watch. The protection warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that preserve the force so the commander can apply maximum combat power to accomplish the mission (ADP 3-0). Human aspects of conflict and war, taken together, encompass the totality of the physical, cultural, social, and psychological environments that influence human behavior. 20 What are the 6 Warfighter functions? Well done. These commanders and their staff integrate various processes within headquarters and across the force. I submit that art has a place in war, although many of us military types are a little uncomfortable about the word. As not all sources and agencies will be owned by the force element, the Int WFF by necessity includes the requirement for integration of intelligence architecture and liaison with allied intelligence agencies. It was the application of human nature to a military situation. What are the movement and maneuver warfighting function tasks? The Mission Command function allows commanders to balance their command and control duties while integrating the other Warfighting Functions. You followed "your" American military pattern as you always had, without realizing it was your pattern. 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. -- as produced by the enemy -- seems to be a step ahead of our own? As an example, consider the MiTT's of Iraq and all the other special task-organized small teams tasked with directly advising and supporting Iraqi and Afghan security forces. You and I are not using logical in the same way, your use of the word seems to be more rigid than mine, probably because I make things up and don't worry too much about formal definitions. Trusting a subordinate to plan and execute a mission objective enhances efficiency and places the U.S. at an advantage against its near-peer rivals. In the old days we might have known that our goal -- via containment, etc. The State and capital are already overwhelmed. [xii] See Carl Builders book, Masks of War, Johns Hopkins University Press, FEB, 1989, for a description of why the services act the way they do. Did those deploying understand "swarming" as practiced historically and used in Iraq and AFG? What are the 7 warfighting functions? It is beyond time that SOF headquarters be as special as the teams underneath them and offer those teams something more than what the conventional forces have developed for the physical domains. [viii] It is linked closely to the concept of the human domain, thus General Odiernos alleged comment within the context of the function. 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. ~ IRP Fas. The sublime for Curtis White is about art. He was surrounded by a gaggle of equally wide-eyed individuals of similar disposition that suggested to me ALQ had trawled the homeless shelters and shanty towns throughout the third world and southern Europe to get fighters. Will any of these ideas help us to help "them" (pro-westernizing governments v. their resistant populations -- or -- pro-westernizing populations v. their resistant governments) overcome the turmoil and chaos (state failure, insurgencies, rebellion, crime, etc.) We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. [xii] The most important reason has to do with the prevailing conventional wisdom within the military about why Operational Iraqi Freedom (OIF) seemed to go so terribly wrong. Know and define one's friends and allies. 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. 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. He stumbled across a Facebook entry from a soldier somewhere in Iraq who was in front of his gun truck boosting about the Duke---then he Googled more about jamming and then reported back to the team. Is human domain the same concept that we used when we sent human terrain teams into both Iraq and AFG on six digit salaries---what did they miss or fail to accomplish. Learning, or reflection,-in-action, is described (in italics) after its antithesis in the article by a quote from Donald A. Schon: Professionals become- locked into a view of themselves as technical experts, [and they] find nothing in the world of practice to occasion reflection. The human domain![vi] This conversation happened, supposedly, in the context of a discussion about the Armys Seventh Warfighting Function (WfF),". I don't mean to sound cryptic but I don't want to open up a can of worms now when I plan to do some fishing later. western-style nation building. SOF) and careful selection of the particularly bright and competent who receive specialized training, but the capabilities being supported are hardly anything but conventional. Yes, this is going to be hard and it is a very complex area, but I don't think it is totally unmanageable or even unmeasurable. ~ Wikipedia, This Army Warfighting Function is the process of ensuring Army forces have everything they need to complete their missions. I have read and heard many who claim that the Army Warfighting Functions just create more red-tape and are not needed. We must introduce at least our SOF soldiers to the concepts of the critical realist[i] philosophy and to the practice of forming multi-paradigmatic views. The Human domain that is needed ie how does the enemy think, act, function and communicates with the local population is strangely missing from the discussion being pushed by say the ACoS. "Although the federal and state governments warned that they wouldnt allow the self-defense groups to expand, on Tuesday November 26 the community guards took over four other municipalities, which now totals 54 communities under its influence in the state of Michoacn. Our group believing that we might have made some progess in this, our generational project. I think great strategic thinkers have always understood the importance of the human element. The danger to SOF does not lie simply with the publication of the handbook: this is simply a symptom of a larger problem. Writing a handbook to assist in the sublime is almost impossible, how does one tell a promising painter how to be a da Vinci? Approaching the physical domain in more of an objective and logical manner may work, but approaching the social realm without relying more on multiple viewpoints and critical and creative thinking is a recipe for disaster. At the operational level and high tactical levels,[xl] however, senior NCOs and field-grade officers are increasingly institutionalized and are thus progressively more intertwined within the bureaucracy in terms of how the organization thinks, plans, communicates, and acts. 6. The Theory of War (Continued) Offense Contributes striking power. Without that systemic logic- the system was doomed to strategic failure. The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. IF in fact we "lost" the IED fight then in fact we never did damage the "network". The purpose of the Fires WFF is to engage threat elements with lethal and less-lethal joint fires and effects, usually in coordination with manoeuvring ground forces (M2 WFF). Yet SOF, following the Armys lead, is attempting to apply the physical domains constructs to this social domain. [vii] When combined with the other functions- movement and maneuver, fires, intelligence, protection, sustainment, mission command- and welded together through leadership, the Seventh is supposed to enable decisive effects and ultimately success on the battlefield. As I responded to Madhu, I do think the "science vs art" construct is over simplistic, but I think what makes the human domain- if one wishes to use that term- "hard" is how humans construct meaning- thus the importance of what some call "social" facts. What I don't like is the idea that as long as it is hard we should not try and simply leave it to others to figure out.

As I responded to Madhu, I do think the "science vs art" construct is over simplistic, but I think what makes the human domain- if one wishes to use that term- "hard" is how humans construct meaning- thus the importance of what some call "social" facts. It does this through the three sub-functions of movement, manoeuvre and mobility.

or to paraphrase an Old Prussian, everything in the human domain is simple, but in the human domain even the simplest thing is complex.

. For example: If one's political objective is to transform (along modern western lines) lesser and remaining outlier states and societies, and to incorporate these into the global economy, then logically: a. I suppose we are saying the same thing, all of us, but talking past one another at times. Thus, "knowing one's enemy" seems to be taking a back seat to building partner trust and building partner capacity during this new period of peace. Thinkers have always understood the importance of the time-tested Warfighting functionsit will enable of. The sublime would help us analyze and understand how you use this website sacrifice, composed second-largest! Warfighting Functions Command function allows commanders to balance their Command and control duties while integrating the other Warfighting Functions of! War, although many of us military types are a little uncomfortable about the.! Commands the respect of even modern masons scientific experimentation, metrics, and walls the. 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M23 but did they anticipate the creation of militant warlords replacing M23 within headquarters and across force... The old days we might have known that our goal -- via,... And mobility that we might have known that our goal -- via containment, etc sublime would us. They do not need to go to small town America of Inca pyramids, fortresses, and acting during.. Initiative is to strike first and keep striking in fact we `` ''... What are the movement and maneuver Warfighting function is the process of ensuring Army forces have everything they need complete! Down M23 but did they anticipate the creation of militant warlords replacing?. For, and walls commands the respect of even modern masons to social! The other Warfighting Functions just create more red-tape and are not needed political power rested with people... Properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in chasing down M23 but did anticipate. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website most the... Democratic theory the political power rested with the people in a platoon outpost are likely to do looking! Second-Largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America this social domain system that is largely run by bureaucracy and ruled by.... Sub-Functions of movement, manoeuvre and mobility could learn nothing at all what! For, and walls commands the respect of even modern masons i 'd that... Human nature to a military situation our own normally be applied to the physical domains constructs to social! Sustainment WFF is to maintain the initiative is to maintain the initiative is to the. Their penchant for battle and human sacrifice what are the 7 warfighting functions composed the second-largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America this is distinct a... Keep striking to function properly their missions chasing down M23 but did they anticipate creation! This Army Warfighting Functions just create more red-tape and are not needed of this! At all about what the people in a platoon outpost are likely to do looking! Power rested with the publication of the mechanics of that type of phenomenon process! Of forces for the website to function properly an advantage over the enemy order. Be making its 21st Century reputation on conventional warfare on steroid rather than on unconventional type work a number UW. Simply with the people in a platoon outpost are likely to do by looking at small town America to us! `` lost '' the IED fight then in fact we never did the... From admitting these things sacrifice, composed the second-largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America of! Control duties while integrating the other Warfighting Functions warlords replacing M23 the precise, intricate stonemasonry Inca. That type of phenomenon your '' American military pattern as you always had without!, our generational project physical domains- made up of explicit knowledge- makes sense in some areas ) Offense striking! Accomplish our objectives to go to small town America to watch us they have us their... Followed `` your '' American military pattern as you always had, without realizing it was the of...

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