Operational Art

The challenge is in deciding what to automate (effective use of technology) and what remains a human function. The 1999 US National Security Strategy emphasizes the importance of information technology. However, the decisive point of all future military operations will continue to be the men and women of the armed services. Achieving a proper balance between technology and people is critical to our nation's security. The goal of this research was to answer the research question: are there Information Technology Leverage Points within Operational Art? The research methodology has two phases. The research first defines a conceptual model using Senge's Systems Thinking theory. Senge has designed a blueprint for an organization where people expand their capacity to create results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, and where collective aspiration is set free. Systems Thinking is a conceptual framework, a body of knowledge and tools that has been developed to make full patterns clearer, and to help us see how to change them effectively. Looking at Operational Art as a system provides an opportunity to analyze processes, decision points, and points of data input and output. This systems analysis allowed the researcher to apply his individual and battle staff (group) perspectives during multiple operational and tactical exercises throughout the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) and the School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) academic years. The answer to the research question is yes there are information technology leverage points within operational art, but not as many as initially anticipated. Throughout the published works on the concept of decision support technology and the integration of information technology to help people make decisions, a common finding is that the human mind is an amazing tool. Through the use of intuition, mental models, and experience humans are able to sort through reasonable amounts of in