Productive Tension in Joint Planning: A Constructivist Model

摘要

Leveraging diversity of thought in planning group decisions can have high payoff at both operational and strategic levels of war, and pre-war deterrence. According to Joint Publications 3-0 (Joint Operations) and 5-0 (Joint Planning), joint operations are standard procedure for military operations and campaigns. Add the combined nature of current, non- clandestine military operations outside the United States, and the value of leveraging diversity of thought among components and international partners becomes clear. We can value the range of input from component and coalition partners for unity of effort, and for the increased geopolitical legitimacy that attends coalition cooperation. As a practical mailer, a variety of inputs to a single operation could result in confusion, contention, or even a compromise or consensus solution that satisfies no one. Better to engage in understanding and valuing the offerings of partners national and international in ways that enhance the efficacy of the entire joint and combined operational undertaking. A union of diverse partners working toward a common outcome in a constructivist planning environment can produce on an operational level the kind of adaptive problem- solving ingenuity that America has long prized at the individual level. Using a constructivist model to understand, value, and deliberately incorporate in joint planning the contributions of partners from various cultures national (service component liaisons, interagency representatives) and international (e.g. combined partners, IGOs, and NGOs) can enhance the efficacy of joint planning.