Fighting at the Lower End: Applying Operational Art to Security Assistance

Abstract : As large scale conventional war with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact has all but disappeared as a credible threat to the security of the United States, our nation is shifting its defense focus toward the lower end of the operational continuum where the indirect application of military force becomes dominant. As a result, security assistance is once again emerging as an important instrument for achieving our national security objectives. Recent studies have suggested that security assistance has become a blunted instrument and that it needs to be sharpened if it is to enhance our national security. This monograph offers a conceptual approach to strengthen the design and execution of this program, the application of operational art. This monograph first examines operational art; exploring the concepts of end state, center of gravity, and culmination point in the design of campaign plans. This is followed by a primer on security assistance. Security assistance is explained through a discussion of its ten component programs and the organization and responsibilities for execution.