Civil Considerations & Operational Art: Polluting the Process of Method to the Madness.

摘要

The recent inclusion of civil considerations into the METT-T process is justifiable provided one defines the terms and its applicability to operational art. Analysis of the term indicates it is neither properly defined nor understood. An objective evaluation of civil considerations shows the considerations vary between the strategic, operational and tactical levels of war. A proper assessment of these considerations is crucial for combining all instruments of national power to achieve a desired endstate. This paper defines the considerations at the strategic and operational levels as well their applicability to coherent campaign planning. It explains the nature of a crisis in the 21 st Century and provides a rudimentary understanding of how civil considerations become a significant factor in resolving the crisis. Finally, the paper draws some conclusions concerning the civil aspect of conflict and recommends areas for further research and analysis toward an overall attempt to codify civil considerations into an effective system as part of the military decision making process required to develop a commander's estimate of the situation. In addition to categorizing civil considerations at the strategic and operational level, the paper identifies several key issues: (1) Civil Considerations does not equal civil affairs, (2) Civil considerations are critical to providing the linkage between objectives at the strategic and operational levels of war, and (3) The Operational Level of War is where the integration and synchronization of instruments of national power is executed, increasing the necessity of civil considerations.