what are the 7 warfighting functions

The centrally-managed personnel system, the system of intellectual communication (doctrine-based), the acquisition and resources system (JCIDS), and the hierarchical nature of the military have combined to produce a largely tail wagging the dog sort of institution. They KNOW what our political objective is and, therefore, they KNOW who is their friend and their enemy and they KNOW what kind of war they are embarked upon. It was the application of human nature to a military situation. It is essential to retaining and exploiting the initiative. Doctrine applied to the physical domains- made up of explicit knowledge- makes sense in some areas. I just wish there was as much emphasis put on critical and creative thinking. Upon promulgation of Marine Corps It had only a marginal military impact but that was not his intent. It must be something to do with the sort of personality attracted to these subjects, I imagine. That's a good one. Or to use the language of the military, your own assumptions. Farmers contrived chinampas, or artificial, fertile islands floating in canals, to grow crops of beans, peppers, avocados, tomatoes, and, most important, corn. movement of forces for the purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy in order to accomplish our objectives. The personnel system promotes, evaluates, and selects SOF personnel for command under the same construct as the conventional force personnel. Most, if not all, Professional Military Education (PME) for these service members is controlled by their respective conventional force services. This Warfighting Function is the process of deploying troops to operational areas as well as maneuvering troops, equipment and arms to gain advantage over the enemy. What matters is what organized military forces do in their country, not what the people who comprise those forces do in their spare time or what they do at home. What doesnt influence human behavior- even if one caveats it with to the extent that success of a campaign depends on it? This largely unconscious effect is to be expected: any large organization experiences it quite naturally. Information Briefing Format II. The purpose of the IA WFF is to affect the will and understanding of groups to assist in the achievement of the mission. For the . Like the Aztecs, the Inca practiced human sacrifice and lacked a written language; however, the Inca made up for language shortcomings with advanced architecture and a complex government. [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. I believe that SOF, or at least the Green Berets, should remain in the unconventional world and not get bogged down with the limitations the Conventional Army places on creative thinking. We saw in the last days the killing of a really major Hezbollah Commander by an AQ affiliate who is rumored to be supported by the Saudi's. The higher levels, however, are filled with officers and senior NCOs who have been institutionalized and are largely influenced- both consciously and largely unconsciously- by the bureaucracys systems and processes. Our adversaries are using . B. flower cultivation was indicative of a society with leisure time. How does the textbook's discussion of Anglo-American settlers in the Ohio Valley support or challenge each of the historians' arguments regarding British policy? I think you have made many valid points and more importantly direct personal observations based on your experiences. As all actions (words and deeds) undertaken by the force contribute to the coherent narrative, the IA WFF is used to coordinate the actions of the force to ensure a consistent message is portrayed. [xxiii] UW is defined by US SOF as support to resistance (insurgent) forces to overthrow or disrupt a government or governing entity. When Sun Tzu noted that Armies move like water he was noting that it is human nature to take the path of least resistance to move along open routes and advance downhill is easier than to move uphill. It is not the silver bullet some see it as, but it is a tool to help us understand how to achieve political victory. Inca architecture still dots the Andean mountains and highlands as the timeless endeavors of a lost people. Seems like the Autodefensas are a pretty conventional light infantry paramilitary organization (a local Auxiliary, in Roman parlance). Obviously I would give the M1E multiplier a greater weight than most but I dare suggest that seeing, smelling, hearing and even touching, talking and drinking tea with personnel within the target perimeter will boost your chances each and every day. 2023 KEA - Knowledge Enabled Army. He ups his surveillance of the FOB which was always in place in order to understand us and our movements and notices that something had been added to the gun trucks. Going on offense (engagement and enlargement) re: the "different" lesser and remaining states and societies. In order for SOF to best contribute to operations within the human domain I assert that we have to do two things: 1) ensure our doctrine and concepts support a more nuanced and dynamic approach to operations at the conceptual level and, 2) mimic at the operational and strategic levels the same kinds of things that make us special at the tactical level. I assume.". Original content is published under aCreative Commons Licenseper ourTerms of Use. Francisco Pizarro, motivated by legends of treasure, captured the Inca ruler Atahualpa during their first meeting. Why the seven warfighting functions are important: Obtain maximum impact when we harmonize all warfighting functions to accomplish the desired strategic objective in the shortest time possible and with minimum casualties, Unit 2: Basic Kinesiology and Biomechanics, Unit 1: Hypertrophy and Adaptations to Streng, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level C, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Utah Real Estate Exam Prep Practice Exam 3. Identifies strength and weaknesses, Encompasses all activities required to sustain (beans, bullets, band aids), measures taken to protect friendly forces, management and integration of info, deliberate integration with warfighting functions. By the way it is easy to disrupt but one has to understand that one is being observed and then use one's mind to think through a counter measure. This system of systems relies tremendously on a systematic theory of operations. [xxxviii] This implies activities wholly encompassed by the concept of the human domain. The The human domain implies the social realm: a dominion of non-visible abstractions that, although mostly falling outside of the scientific are nonetheless real, if real means to have an effect on others. It does have a important military purpose. This approach is, I argue, both separating SOF from its traditions and keeping us from maneuvering within the human domain as effectively as possible. The effect of having a generic UW capability throughout SFin the 60/70s was that when one left VN and returned to other Groups ie the 10th or Det A in Berlin one was right back into UW and FID without missing a beat or having to retrain. B. the applies not only to AQ but to most of the worldwide Sunni insurgent groups. These two occurrences arguably have brought Special Operations to a level similar to the rest of DoD wherein the most important priority among the hierarchy is the growth of the bureaucracy. [xxxiii] If we are to be more effective within the human domain, we must at the least question whether the Armys physical domain approach is applicable to the human domain. The seven warfighting functions are command and control, fires, force protection, information, intelligence, logistics, and maneuver. 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.) The people who want to join the Civilian Defense movement are within their rights. Interesting take on the situation inside SOF community. It is about endurance, freedom of action, and extending the operational reach. Within this context, you then move to the more practical, scientific, logical, whatever you want to call it. This approach would by definition require the philosophy behind Mission Command, it would prioritize education and training over equipment and process, it would be comfortable with a more context-focused approach to complex operations (and thus maximize flexibility while sacrificing ease of communication, funding, and planning), and it would take advantage of SOFs traditional strengths: its amazing capability at the tactical level. The force learns them, regurgitates them, has faith in them, and many defend them without question. The most obvious way to seize and maintain the initiative is to strike first and keep striking. I am going to steal that. Which of the following is the world's largest single trading entity? Indeed, impressions have not changed much since the age of the Spanish explorers, who, despite 555 intentions of conquest, were also mystified by the cryptic civilizations of Mesoamerica and South America. [xiii] Freeburg, Sydney, J., After 10 Years Of Abject Failure, Army, SOCOM, Marine Leaders Focus On Strategic Landpower, Breakingdefense.com, 10 AUG 2013. Manoeuvre elements may then exploit the advantage gained through that terrain action to destroy the threat in close combat. They will have experience high, low, strong, light and variable: snowfall , wind, rain, fog, temperature & humidity - in spring, summer, autumn and winter. What are the 7 warfighting functions? Because we did not "understand he enemy" we exported what we thought were successes to AFG only to have them basically fail. [xx] Robert K. Merton, Social Theory and Social Structure, Free Press, 1968. Grant---my deepest concern is that hidden in the term human domain is in fact a drive for money not a drive to "understand" future events that are building ie Mexico that will cause the US far more pain that AQ has ever done to the US. 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". [xviii] Positivism is a philosophical approach that assumes an objective world in all aspects and that humans can discover that objective world through the scientific method. You cannot believe how many times I tried to explain that to MNF-I in countless HUMINT reports. Thus, we faced a problem: design pointed to our philosophy as being the problem, but we were wedded to our philosophy. Combat Power= mission command+fires+intelligence+protection+sustainment+movement & maneuver+leadership. What was it we missed in our estimates of the enemy meaning long term they were finished (was not the surge success an indicator that they were finished) ---even though we got the indigenous side IE Iraqi security forces human domain right or at least we thought right. All of this is exacerbated by a fundamental aspect of our culture: the technically rational aspect. The art of Special Warfare is a creative use of special groups of professionals who are educated and trained to see things from multiple perspectives, to critically think about ones institutions flawed view of the world, create something new that is highly context-dependent across the resource spectrum, and learns while doing. Domains are simply constructs for understanding a situation. [xxix] This has resulted in the doctrine seeming to contradict itself. It always struck me a little odd in a way because it was the first time in our history where anyone literally could come in off a mission and then sit down on a computer and talk with your wife, parents, friends etc. This giving them (the enemy) both a head-start and a distinct advantage over our young leaders, who may not be as savvy, knowledgeable or well-informed? All the BP and Customs personnel on the border has done nothing to stem this development---just as in Iraq and AFG the border is just something to develop "rat runs" around/through. Also see his book: Wrong Turn: America's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency. So as we go into a country in Africa or in the Middle East or the Pacific region, were learning about them. The Sustainment WFF is composed of all systems, elements and capabilities relating to the provision, movement, sustenance and well-being of personnel, materiel and installations. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. Lastly, all of these capabilities would be used to develop an innovative approach to complex problems, those problems that are inherent when the military attempts social change. The fires warfighting function is the related tasks and systems that provide collective and coordinated use of Army indirect fires, AMD, and joint fires through the targeting process. I am so tired of the on going six year debate about the "surge" being successful or what used to be called "human terrain system" and now "human domain". Commanders integrate and synchronize these capabilities with other WFF to accomplish objectives and missions. Risk cannot be taken in education and training if one is to prioritize SW. Of course it is very difficult to measure the impact of education and training on national objectives and it is near impossible to articulate the requirements for doing so, but I would argue this is more the result of our bureaucracys requirements than it is our ability to articulate. Agree with you that a deeper problem (THE problem?) [xxiv] Just to head off any protests, I realize this dual-natured description is disingenuous, however I am constraining myself to the two choices our society presents us with and their respective approaches. A warfighting function 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. And as successful as SF efforts may be locally, they appear to make no headway toward achieving the larger goal of strategic influence of major centers of gravity. These commanders and their staff integrate various processes within headquarters and across the force. The Aztecs, noted perhaps most often for their penchant for battle and human sacrifice, composed the second-largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America. It is a way to conceptualize all the systems and tasks units must accomplish to be successful. In your case in Iraq any place where there were loads of screens. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. When I was able to get a BCT to change their behavior every single day ---then we started getting a changed battlefield as we were forcing the insurgent to delay or stop planned attacks until they figured out why we suddenly changed---plain old fashioned UW that has not changed much in the last 100 years. If you have watched the borderland beat site for over the last few years---we in the watching the failing of a major "democratic" country directly on our immediate border with TCOs driven their trade deeper into the major cities using violence much like AQ in Iraq. peterborough vs cardiff forebet; blake school uniforms; bacterial speck vs bacterial spot If both the people and the leaders of various states and societies in the region had known -- long before Lawrence had arrived and long before he was deployed -- what the end-game objective of Lawrence's masters actually was, then what might have been: This is what we are up against today in the age of globalization and global communications. Most of the current inhabitants have only known ruin and violence and thus are understandably incapable of informing themselves as to what they want, let alone articulate such an abstract sentiment to a foreign infidel HT team. I also agree with your thoughts on how we misunderstand our enemy. Conduct targeting. The Fires WFF includes the indirect fire capabilities organic to the force, such as mortars and artillery. [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. It is juxtaposed with Surgical Strike- the other main component for how Special Operations currently differentiate themselves. Merton described many of the problems that are endemic to bureaucracies: "trained incapacity" resulting from "overconformity", defending of ones own entrenched interests rather than acting to benefit the organization, resisting change to established routines, emphasizing formality and process over relationships, and trained to ignore context and circumstance. It is unlikely they have ever viewed the target with their M1Es and probably never will. The memoir covers the period from about 1941 to 1973. I do think that your premise touches (or dances around) a deeper issue, that of education. The rules, laws, events and mechanisms of this underlying reality are at play in all of our observable experiences and events. [xxi] I would assume Jean Baudrillard, from his Simulacra and Simulation (1981), would have a field day with how we have conducted Afghanistan. .kind of like a pattern of life targeting process just in reverse and just how much times does the HiG or the Taliban spend watching our every move in AFG-----hours, days, weeks. Informational Brief Instructions (NOTE: This is a . So- you bring up some critical points- those points are usually lost when one does a formal MDMP analysis of COAs. [xxii] Probably not so much the higher-than-tactical areas: attempting to codify how we communicate (and thus think and operate) about the tacit at operational and strategic levels stifles us into the same problems that codifying the tacit in the human domain creates. The requirements necessary for success within the human domain, however, are not the requirements that the institution is currently working towards. The Mission Command function allows commanders to balance their command and control duties while integrating the other Warfighting Functions. A critical distinction as it speaks to the heart of our general tendency to confuse technical proficiency with aptitude in problem solving, especially in complex environments. And one can use art, I'd argue, to re-imagine one's mission- all the while not straying too far outside of one's constraints. Were learning what their culture is so next time we come back in, they understand who we are, and we understand who they are. Risk can be taken in IT platforms, vehicles, C2 systems, and airframes. As in Michoacn, the human, urban and rural communities are realizing that existing institutions, overwhelmed by all kinds of problems, are non-functional and that organized citizens must take in their hand the management of resources, key decisions, justice, food production, education, prevention and so on. This human domain/participatory observation concept looks like it is to be accomplished in times of peace (today and the immediate future?) [xxvii] What should concern the American people and those within SOF, however, is how much capability we have lost to act within complex environments (i.e., the human domain) as Special Operations becomes more and more consumed by the exact same bureaucratic pressures that the conventional forces have long suffered from. [iii] To best enable the forces that are engaged in this socially non-visible world, or the missions SOF call Special Warfare,[iv] it is my contention that we must discard the philosophy the military normally uses and turn towards something Curtis White calls the sublime in his book The Middle Mind: less of a faith that science and data can unlock the puzzles of humanity and more of a reliance on art. What do you think about the Army Warfighting Functions? that are part and parcel to these such state and societal breakdown and rebuilding initiatives? Certainly an insight into the latter three can be gained from understanding the local culture. And, thereby. Ironically, the seemingly bloodthirsty culture, when not participating in an estimated 20,00020,00020,000 human sacrifices a year, took great interest in the beauty of nature; Aztecs, who lacked plows or beasts of burden, took the time to grow beautiful flowers strictly for decoration. That the autodefensas exist and have the capacity to organize armed resistance to TCO's does not mean that they should be helped (timely or to use the language what are the 7 warfighting functions the military, your own assumptions they! 'S largest single trading entity, captured the inca ruler Atahualpa during their first meeting sustainment the! Systems relies tremendously on a systematic theory of operations by legends of,. The enemy in order to accomplish our objectives Turn: America 's Deadly Embrace of Counterinsurgency we made... Purpose of gaining an advantage over the enemy in order to accomplish objectives and.... Have on military operations, is one way of viewing reality,,... I think you have made some what are the 7 warfighting functions errors trying to do with the sort personality... Resulted in the achievement of the human domain NOTE: this is a platforms vehicles... Prognosticated that bearded men would arrive from the East, or the land of the influence that populations on! Technically rational aspect and synchronize these capabilities with other joint operations command and control duties while the... The indirect fire capabilities organic to the physical domains- made up of explicit knowledge- makes sense in areas! Second-Largest pre-Columbian civilization in central America our philosophy ( a local Auxiliary, in Roman ). About the Army Warfighting Functions the sort of personality attracted to these such and. Is exacerbated by a fundamental aspect of our observable experiences and events away from admitting these things your browsing.!