Operation Urgent Fury: Operational Art or a Strategy of Overwhelming Combat Power

摘要

With the ever increasing rise in regional conflicts and micro wars, OperationUrgent Fury may exemplify the types of short notice contingency operations we may be faced with in the future. To facilitate success in these potential conflicts, American military commanders must understand the critical elements of operational art and design. This monograph examines operational art theory and doctrine as derived from both classical and contemporary theorists, and compares that doctrine with the planning and execution of Operation Urgent Fury. An analysis of the theoretical and doctrinal constructs revealed three common elements conducive to the application of operational art. First, the strategic and subsequent operational objectives must be clearly articulated and understood. Second, the campaign or major operation must be properly sequenced and sufficiently resourced to attain the objectives. Last the six operational functions of command and control, intelligence, movement and maneuver, fires, support, and protection should be integrated into the planning and execution process. Operational art, Operation Urgent Fury, Operational design.