User:Cernnunos Gunn/Old user page/Asymmetric Warfare - Doctrine: Difference between revisions

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 "While we are seeing a relative reduction in military violance, at the same time we definitely are seeing an increase in political, economic, and technological violence. However, regardless of the form the violance takes, war is war, and a change in the external appearance does not keep any war from abiding by the principles of war."
+==Doctrine for Asymmetric Warfare==
+Any discussion of doctrine and asymmetry must begin by acknowledging the tension inherent between the role of doctrine and the nature of asymmetry in warfare. Doctrine should succinctly express the collective wisdom about how to conduct military operations. In 1923, historian J.F.C. Fuller wrote that "the central idea of an army is known as doctrine, which to be sound must be principles of war, and which to be effective must be elastic enough to admit of mutation in accordance with change in circumstance. In its ultimate relationship to the human understanding this central idea or doctrine is nothing else than common sense - that is, action adapted to circumstance."
+While asymmetric warfare encompasses a wide scope of theory, experience, conjecture, and definition, the implicit premis is that asymmetric warfare deals with unknowns, with suprise in terms of ends, ways, and means. The more dissimilar the opponent, the more difficult it is to anticipate their actions. Unfortunately, uncertainty is inseparable from the nature of war, and asymmetry increases uncertainty. Those who expect doctrine and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) to provide solutions and checklists for action are soon disabused of that notion during actual operations. If and when enemy suprises us with a capability, our response is necessarily ad hoc and less effective. Depending on our preconceptions and ability to adapt, the advantage an opponent enjoys might persist. Doctrine must prepare the Fleet Commander & leadership with a mindset to deal with uncertainty quickly and effectfully.
+===Developing Doctrine===
+To get beyond the tension inherent between asymmetry and doctrine, our focus is on two observations about asymmetry that to many of our potential opponents are highly relevant to the development of ILN doctrine. The first is the requirment to understand that to most of our potential enemies we appear to be as asymmetric as they appear to us. The second point is that doctrine cannot predict the nature and form of asymmetric conflicts, but it can forecast the necessary traits and body of conceptual knowledge necessary to cope with a chaotic asymmetric operational environment.
+To understand the role of doctrine, we must distinguish between doctrine and TTP. Most people using the term doctrine are referring to the whole body of doctrine and fail to separate out each component's specific role. Defining these roles is a seemingly minor distinction, but it is important to understanding since each component plays a different part in how the fleet operates. More germane is that each component has a slightly different role with respect to asymmetry, and each has a different cyclic rate in terms of its development and useful life.
+Effective doctrine explaines how we expect to fight and operate based on past experience and a best guess of what lies ahead. Doctrine:
+          * Provides the link between research, theory, history, experimentation, and practice
+          * Encapsulates a body of knowledge and experience so it can be applied
+          * Provides common understanding and a common language, which allows us to articulate clearly and succinctly the fleet's mission
+The narrow definition of doctrine is "fundamental principles by which the military forces of elements thereof guide their actions in support of Corporate objectives. It is authoritative but requires sound judgement in application". (US Joint publication 1-02, DoD - non-classified)
+E-Uni doctrine should provide an operational concept, a philosophy of how the ILN operates. In doing so, doctrine must reconcile operational requirements with the force's preceived strengths. Fleets operate best when capitalizing on demonstrated capabilities and asymmetric strengths. History is replete with examples of fleet failures occasioned by attempts to match an enemy's style of warfare despite friendly forces being ill-suited tot he challenge.
+===TACTICS===
+Tactics deals with how units are employed during combat. The actual application of tactics is highly circumstantial and is both a science and art. The science of tactics encompasses the understanding of those military aspects of tactics - capabilities, techniques, and proceedures - that can be measured and codified. The art of tactics consists of three interrelated aspects: the creative and flexible array of means to accomplish assigned missions; decisionmaking under conditions of uncertainty when faced with an intelligent enemy; and understanding the human dimension - the effects of combat on pilots. The unit commander invokes the art of tactics to solve problems within his or her FC's intent by choosing from interrelated options, such as forms of maneuver, tactical mission tasks, and arrangement and choice of control measures (gate camps, offensive or defensive patrols, scouts, etc).
+Tactics are whatever we do against an opponent when we arrange forces to counter them. What differentiates tactics against an asymmetric enemy is that we might not have ever used that particular combination of options before, or we may have to incorporate new & novel options to counter asymmetry. When confronted by a situiation, leaders must choose from a variety of possible solutions and adopt their solution to circumstances at the point of engagement.
+===TECHNIQUES and PROCEDURES===
+Techniques are the general, detailed methods fighters and commanders use to perform assigned missions and functions, specifically methods of fitting and using ships and the roles those ships play on the battlefield. Procedures are standard and detailed courses of action that describe how to perform tasks. Every competent militry force adapts. Units modify techniques and procedures constantly according to circumstance and knowledge gained through experience. This instrument - the techniques and procedures that should be in constant flux according to changing political and tactical environments, is what is commonly referred to as standard operating procedures, or SOPs, and at a minimum these need to be reviewed and changed whenever a new combat technique, ship type, or change in the mechanics of wars and declaring them, occur in Eve.
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