USJFCOM JWFC ----- Joint Operations Insights and Best Practices, 2nd Edition July 2008

By GEN (Ret) Gary Luck,
COL (Ret) Mike Findlay and the JWFC Joint Training Division

The Joint Warfighting Center’s joint training division is afforded the unique opportunity to visit and support commanders and staffs of joint headquarters worldwide as they prepare for, plan, and conduct operations. We gain insights into their challenges and their derived solutions. We analyze and compare practices amongst the different headquarters, reflect on the various challenges, techniques and procedures, collaborate with other agencies and the Services, and draw out and refine what we term “best practices,” which we share across the community. We particularly discuss many of the insights on design and planning laid out in joint doctrine, FM 3-0 (Operations), and FM 3-24/MCWP 3-33.5 (Counterinsurgency).

This 2nd edition supersedes the September 2006 “Insights” paper incorporating many of the insights and best practices observed over the past two years as we participated in ongoing operations and joint exercises, particularly in the irregular warfare environment. We continue to stress the commander-centric nature of planning and operations while recognizing the critical importance of the staff. We delve into the development of trust and confidence necessary for today’s operations. We also discuss the importance of providing a common framework to bring planners and operators from different Service and US government agency cultures together to achieve the unity of effort necessary to accomplish national objectives.

We have added a section on “design,” addressing the need for problem setting, questioning assumptions, and paradigm setting prior to conduct of the well known, established planning process. We also further discuss the integration of lethal and nonlethal capabilities. We additionally discuss the rationale to move away from “effects-based operations” terminology.

We emphasize that future conflicts may run the full spectrum from peace to general war and address the implications of irregular warfare and hybrid war.1 These conflicts, especially those in irregular warfare arena, are multidimensional, rooted in the human dimension, and defy full understanding and predictable solution sets. Nor can these conflicts normally be solved by military means alone. Success often requires a long term approach with the military operating as part of a comprehensive, whole of government effort – the essence of unified action. This demands an inclusive mindset to harmonize and synchronize our military actions, both lethal and nonlethal, with the many stakeholders, both interagency and multinational. It also argues that we continue developing agility and adaptability in our leaders through education, training, and experience.

We will continue capturing and sharing insights and best practices in subsequent insight and focus papers. Please pass on your comments to the Joint Training Division POC for insights and best practices, Mike Findlay at (757) 203-5939 (DSN: 668) or email: michael.findlay.ctr@jfcom.mil.