DOWNLOAD PDF
Overview
This paper introduces a new operational concept—decision dominance—
to help guide the strategic employment of U.S. forces in
wartime. This concept is not a replacement for existing paradigms.
If added to the current list, however, it may better illuminate how
American forces can operate effectively in ways that will achieve
their political-military goals more decisively in future wars.
Decision dominance builds upon current operational concepts,
particularly effects-based operations and rapid decisive
operations. Yet it goes further by giving warfighting options to
shape the operational and strategic decisions of an adversary.
Decision dominance is an attempt to exploit emerging transformational
U.S. military capabilities to create a transformational
strategy and Joint Capstone Concept. It reflects a strategy for the
use of military force in concert with other instruments of power.
This strategy involves evaluating adversary options and eliminating
those deemed undesirable, effectively funneling the decisionmaking
process of the enemy leadership to achieve a desired outcome.
This paper first discusses the nature of conflict in the modern
strategic environment and some popular contemporary military
concepts of operations. Next, it examines the operational
relevance of decision dominance and its application in conflict.
Decision dominance argues that a strategy exploiting the realms
of space, time, and knowledge may be invaluable by allowing decisionmakers
to achieve political ends, using military means, to
coerce methodically and effectively, with minimal cost and risk to
both sides.
READ MORE >>