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In the last ten years, the topic of design was a source of conflict between many military leaders who believed it was already inherent in the military decision-making process. Design, however, should be considered less as a process, and more as a way of thinking about complexity. While design doesn’t eliminate all error, it is a proven tool used by many disciplines to develop creative ways to approach complex situations that can enhance the detailed planning offered by the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). This paper will first explain the key concepts of the Army Design Methodology (ADM) and how they relate to MDMP.
Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat
Within the ADM process, commanders and staff members apply the use of operational art to all significant activities, including framing problems. Operational art is the cognitive approach to developing strategies, campaigns, and operations which defines the purpose of military force at all levels of war (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2022). Operational art also has elements that support the concept, such as identifying centers of gravity, establishing decisive points, and creating lines of operation and effort. Under contingency operations, leaders can leverage operational art to determine the required military force to provide security along a main supply route.
The Army Design Methodology: Enhancing Decision-Making in a Complex World
Elements like the center of gravity (COG) and decisive points are essential in creating an operational approach within the limits of resources and capabilities and an important activity within framing solutions. JCS (2020) defines COG as “the source of power or strength that enables a force to achieve its goals or where an opposing force can focus its operation, which will lead to enemy failure” (p. IV-22). A COG is a critical capability with critical requirements and vulnerabilities that form a system. An example of a COG is a mechanized unit, which can disrupt ground forces but requires logistics to enable projection and becomes vulnerable when prevented from receiving a resupply of fuel and ammunition.
Framing Solutions in Army Design Methodology
The Americans also predicted that the NVA would be successful without intervention and that Vietnam would be a communist state. Master Sergeant (MSG) Dimas A. Fonseca Jr. is an active duty Soldier, serving in the United States Army since July 3rd, 2001. He is originally from La Habra, California and has a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Columbia Southern University. Since enlisting, he's had the honor of serving all over the world, to include two deployments to Afghanistan. His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal to name a few. MSG Fonseca is currently attending the Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas as a student of Class 73.
Narrative construction uses words to give meaning to individuals, things, and events (DA, 2015). The purpose of a narrative is to tell a story and improve understanding of a visual model. For instance, creating a paragraph helps define a visual model to provoke thinking and learning, which helps reveal meaning in the facts presented for analysis. Narrative and visual modeling are essential in creating framing solutions to improve the activities involved in developing an operational approach.
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By applying critical and creative thinking, the PATT adjusted their training program to best achieve the end state of a fully trained Ukrainian battle staff. In addition, CDRs and staff can effectively apply critical and creative thinking by conducting continuous collaboration and dialogue. “Systems thinking is a process of understanding how parts of a system work and influence each other as part of a greater whole” (DA, 2015, p. 1-7). The ADM uses systems thinking to identify problems, find solutions, and give planners a framework to organize complex and confusing information. The systems thinking approach is analytical thinking to see the interdependencies and relationships between elements within a system.
Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat
As the United States continues to provide equipment and resources, the operational approach of Ukraine will aid in achieving its desired results. As they continue to refine their operational approach, it is critical to document the results for better planning in the future. However, leaders must question assumptions as a risk-mitigating measure to help avoid poorly stating a problem. If the planning team does not validate assumptions when framing the problem, false assumptions will eventually become a risk to the operation (Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2020). Returning to the example of protecting a supply route, questioning the assumption that an enemy force will attack the supply route will help the planning team determine the military force required for the security mission. Staff members on the planning team that questioned assumed obstacles would lead to properly framing the problem.
The Army Design Methodology: Enhancing Decision-Making in a Complex World
A Finance SGM in an installation should collaborate with other senior leaders to create solutions to untimely pay adjustments that are prevalent in each organization. Applying key concepts and activities to frame solutions with other senior leaders should help alleviate the financial hardship of Soldiers by identifying the current barriers that prevent a Soldier from receiving timely pay adjustments. The ADM activity of framing solutions will be vital in creating an operational approach to solve untimely pay adjustments. The tools and techniques that help frame problems include brainstorming, mind mapping, meta-questioning, questioning assumptions, and four ways of seeing (Department of the Army, 2015).
According to the Department of the Army (2015), breadth refers to acquiring a large amount of information in as little time as possible, while depth refers to using multiple sources to research a single category. Depth gathers relevant scholarly information and utilizes subject matter experts to understand a topic further. After the execution of brainstorming and research, the team attempts to identify relationships through mind mapping. The Department of the Army (2015) highlights that the commander and staff are more likely to succeed by understanding the natural tendencies of the OE. Additionally, they help identify patterns and relationships within the OE between variables and actors. Planning members utilize key concepts of collaboration, dialogue, and critical thinking to create visual aids and narratives of the OE.
LTC Moore did not anticipate the enemy’s aggressiveness, although he successfully employed operational art by identifying and using appropriate resources and prevented the loss of his entire battalion. LTC Moore did little to understand how the OE may trend or the future state of other actors, although all echelons of command clearly articulated the end state. Identifying and defining the tools and techniques ensure that staff members can execute the ADM process while CSMs can incorporate the concepts into professional development lines of effort.
LTC Moore failed to consider how the enemy forces would react to the American presence, which almost cost him his battalion. Had the staff used the ADM process, they may have predicted an aggressive enemy and discerned how the OE might trend without American influence. Visual modeling is a way of presenting ideas that stimulate thinking through graphics or drawings. Graphic modeling techniques can be rich picture diagrams using symbols, words, or lines to depict relationships between variables and tell a story graphically (DA, 2015). An example will be drawings on a whiteboard or graphic art built on a slide show with a legend defining the symbols or words used.
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The scenario demonstrates that the overall risk of an operation is significantly higher with too much commander involvement (Department of the Army, 2015). Documenting the results of ADM activities enables the transfer of knowledge and understanding to other CDRs, staff, and unified action partners (DA, 2015). The documented results from ADM also provide knowledge and information for further detailed planning. Documenting the results also provides lessons that a SGM can use to improve their organization. Critical requirements or vulnerabilities can represent decisive points during battle to diminish an enemy’s capability.
Although the design work was constrained by time available for brainstorming and research, a tremendous amount of information was discovered and shared with the group. The methodology allows everyone to maintain a strategic perspective while simultaneously contributing information and new ideas to overcome the tactical challenges that lay ahead. Solving the right problems has always been the goal of the Military Decision Making Process but, the planning process has proven to be insufficient as evidenced by 11 years of attrition warfare.
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