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CONTRACT NUMBER Joint Doctrine: The Way Ahead 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION National Defense University,Institute for National Strategic Studies,260 REPORT NUMBER Fifth Avenue SW Bg 64 Fort Lesley J. McNair,Washington,DC,20319 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 3 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 1119 Redden Pgs 11/17/98 7:25 PM Page 54 n Joint Doctrine: The Way Ahead By J O S E P H J. R E D D E N EDITOR’S Note Significant progress has been made in developing joint doctrine publications. P The process has been shortened from four years to 23 months. Both capstone assage of the Goldwater- Nichols Act was viewed by and keystone pubs have undergone major revision. The Joint Electronic Library some critics as “forced joint- has been expanded and made available over the World Wide Web. However, ness.” But the decade since contentious issues remain in certain areas which must be resolved at service its enactment in 1986 has seen us suc- chief or CINC level. Moreover, the best hope for continued progress in joint cessfully engage a major regional warfighting lies in training and Joint Vision 2010. Yet questions have been threat with coalition allies, conduct posed about this vision—some still outstanding—with unabashed critics alleg- operations around the world previ- ing that JV 2010amounts to nothing more than a string of bumper stickers. ously regarded as uncharacteristic for conventional military units, start to foster jointness as second nature in the officers and NCOs of every service, and take interdependence to the point charge. In the haste to get joint doc- As a result, the process of develop- where the Navy will provide key elec- trine to the field, the initial publica- ing doctrinal pubs was reduced from tronic warfare support for all services. tions were little more than reworked 48 to 23 months, in large part due to This has been enabled by developing a service doctrine between purple covers. writing groups. While the lead agent firm doctrinal foundation, a require- They were created out of need, but approach to joint doctrine has not ments-based training system, and the many were redundant or should have changed, agents are encouraged to emergence of a joint vision as a bridge been published as tactics, techniques, host writing groups comprised of rep- to the future. and procedures (TTP). As Chairman, resentatives of the services, CINCs, and The joint doctrine development General Powell started a concerted ef- joint staff directorates to draft a docu- process is often maligned as slow and fort to make doctrine more joint and ment that is as purple as possible, re- unresponsive to user needs. Unfortu- more accessible to users. He also ducing coordination time. The new nately, there is some validity to that sought to improve the horizontal and publication format has been widely ac- vertical consistency of joint publica- cepted, and the extensive use of pho- tions. General Shalikashvili continued tos has opened new vistas for readers. these initiatives and has mandated To ensure that pubs get into the hands that the publications should be more of users quickly distribution is made to Lieutenant General Joseph J. Redden, readable and distributed more quickly. the field and fleet based on lists devel- USAF, is commander of Air University oped by the services and CINCs. and previously served as commander of the Joint Warfighting Center. 10 JFQ / Winter 1996–97 54 1119 Redden Pgs 11/17/98 7:25 PM Page 55 Redden Capstone pubs (1 and 0-2) and The Chairman transformed joint staffs to coordinate, synchronize, and keystone pubs (2-0, 3-0, 4-0, et al.) have training policy into a requirements integrate field forces. Potential JTF undergone major revision. Some 84 of based program in 1989. Combatant commanders are being educated, the projected 104 joint pubs were commanders were directed to articu- trained, and exercised to develop inte- slated for completion by the end of late joint training requirements in grated land/sea/air operations that 1996. The Joint Electronic Library has joint mission essential task lists apply “the right force, at the right been expanded and is available on the (JMETLs). This effort takes time and place, at the right time.” Quite clearly, World Wide Web, allowing greater ac- people. Those who have made the in- well trained joint staffs are as critical to cess to joint doctrine, selected service vestment are seeing the benefits; those operations as well trained forces pro- doctrine pubs, terminology, and futures who have not continue to question the vided by the services. Evolving training databases. Another significant step in validity of the system. Stating mission technology will continue to support the process has been inclusion of the requirements in terms of the capability specific service requirements. The flexi- Coast Guard as a full participant. to accomplish specific tasks under rele- bility it provides will also support train- vant conditions to meet defined stan- ing for a range of potential operations Seamless Training dards provides a clear training that will face CINCs in the future. We While progress has been made in roadmap. The vehicle to execute that have made great progress in doctrine many areas, there are some con- is the joint training system (JTS). and training systems and technology to tentious issues that have lingered for One result of the Chairman’s joint support them. However we still must years which must be resolved. Two ex- training review in 1992 was the need determine what joint capabilities will amples are Joint Pub 3-01, Countering for a formal joint training system be needed for the 21stcentury. Air and Missile Threats,and Joint Pub 3- which was created in 1993–95, with a 09, Doctrine for Joint Fire Support. Both transition plan calling for full imple- A New Window have gone through numerous drafts mentation by 1998. JTS is comprised of In 1984 the chiefs of staff of the and working groups without major four phases: establishing training re- Army and Air Force issued a memo en- progress. Deployed forces will always quirements based on JMETL, develop- titled “U.S. Army-U.S. Air Force Joint find a way to make things work, but ing joint training plans to meet re- Force Development Process.” This vi- parochial interests in the system have quirements, executing supporting sionary document offered a framework precluded the development of joint events (from academic instruction to for moving toward true jointness—not doctrinal guidance. Without resolving joint exercises), and assessing the effec- a popular concept prior to Goldwater- these issues at service chief and CINC tiveness of events to meet these re- Nichols. Also known as the “Wickham- level, advances in joint training and quirements. JTS and JMETL are flexible Gabriel 31 Initiatives,” it presented a the evolution of Joint Vision 2010 may enough to accommodate CINC specific clear vision of the future but never re- offer the best avenues for progress. requirements while supporting the alized its potential because of opposi- Our disposition of forces has commonality essential to effective tion from within the services and proven costly, not least to OPTEMPO. joint operations. DOD. Ten years after the passage of the We must ensure the readiness of forces Our recent exercise experience has Goldwater-Nichols Act, we have JV while supporting regional engagement emphasized the need to be proactive 2010, which provides a new window of strategies identified as vital by combat- with our friends and allies to meet re- opportunity. ant commanders. Progress has been quirements of multinational opera- JV 2010contains concepts for con- made with the development of the tions. We must mature together rather ducting warfare in the future. Because joint training system and the emer- of the emphasis placed on this gence of U.S. Atlantic Command as document by our military lead- if JV 2010 remains just an idea, joint force integrator, but there are ership, it has attracted a wide challenges to ensuring a seamless joint it may well die a slow death readership and attention. Many training environment. now espouse its ideas and nearly from misuse and ambiguity Prior to 1989 joint exercises were every document published in event-driven. Planning conferences the last few months has been were often opened with questions to than pursuing divergent courses that linked to it. A commonly asked ques- determine what the components may seriously degrade future coalition tion about the vision is how it will help wanted to do, who was available to operations. We have seen increased in- achieve full spectrum dominance play, and what resources could be com- terest in joint training technologies within the battlespace of the future, mitted to the exercise. Success was and methods by our friends and allies. across the entire range of operations. based more on the number of person- There has been a shift from traditional And how will progress be measured and nel involved than on meeting jointly- large scale field exercises that focused how will quality control be exercised agreed training goals. The line between on the tactical level to exercises focused over various interpretations of the vi- command post and field training exer- on the ability of joint or multinational sion’s concepts? cises was blurred if not indistinguish- If JV 2010 remains just an idea, it able, and deployed forces were regu- may well go the way of many other larly used as training aids for staffs. “good ideas” and die a slow death 55 Winter 1996–97 / JFQ 11 1119 Redden Pgs 11/17/98 7:25 PM Page 56 n JFQ FORUM from misuse and ambiguity. That is will determine the utility of their ideas, predict future warfare with total accu- why when JV 2010appeared an imple- make recommendations to the service racy. Moreover, the concepts of CFJO mentation process was initiated by the operations deputies, and forward ap- were evaluated during a series of senior Joint Staff. This effort has also been proved ideas to the appropriate agen- level seminars at JWFC in autumn evolving at the Joint Warfighting Cen- cies or systems for action. Responses 1996. Continued refinement will occur ter (JWFC). It has four distinct phases: could include action by the Joint Staff throughout the life cycle of the vision on issues such as joint doctrine or by n publishing the vision and articulat- as new ideas and insights emerge. the deputy operations deputies/opera- ing it as strategic guidance Adjusting Course tions deputies/Joint Requirements n further refining and defining the concepts The most frequent question about Oversight Council on ideas which will n assessing the progress being made in the vision is how one will know if we involve changes in equipment or orga- achieving the vision have achieved the capabilities to im- nizations. This entire process will be n integrating lessons from the assess- under the oversight of the Joint ment phase into DOD systems to institute Chiefs. Once an idea is determined JV 2010 has great promise for change. to have utility by the appropriate instituting changes needed for oversight group, the integration The initial phase of publishing process will begin. Integration will the vision and articulating it as strate- warfighting in the 21st century utilize the existing acquisition, gic guidance was highly effective. One budgeting, doctrine, and planning indicator of that success is the fre- systems. The desired output of the im- quent use of the vision in both joint plement it in the battlespace of the 21st plementation process is the ability to and service literature issued by the de- century. Phases three and four respond achieve full spectrum dominance on fense establishment. While this phase to this question. Phase three, assess- the future battlefield (the accompany- is vital in establishing operational ment, is a process that will both mea- ing figures depict this process). concepts for the 21st century and lay- sure movement towards the vision and ing a basis for the assessment phase, it enable us to adjust our course. This as- is also dangerous if left to stand alone. sessment will involve the services, Because JV 2010 is more than a JV 2010 unfortunately has been re- CINCs, Joint Staff, and all members of concept, it has great promise for devel- duced to a bumper sticker in some the Armed Forces. A small staff at JWFC oping unity of effort and instituting quarters. It is an idea that everyone has primary coordination responsibility changes needed for warfighting in the appears to support but that few really for the assessment effort. They will pro- 21st century. This process involves all understand. It was this requirement to vide a common joint assessment DOD components, does not promote define the vision’s concepts that led to methodology, strategy, and measures of parochial interests, maintains the vital- the second phase, conceptualization. merit for use by the joint community in ity of each service, strives for joint and Concept definition has been un- the evaluation of concepts, technology, unified action, and allows for course derway at JWFC for many months. It operational art, procedures, and future corrections under the program de- has involved a group of senior active capabilities required to achieve JV 2010. scribed above. and retired officers from all four ser- Determining what to assess and devel- JV 2010is more than rhetoric. It is vices with a wide breadth of experi- oping and conducting the exercises, the tool that will help us achieve what ence. Its goal is to develop a document seminars, and events to serve as the test was envisioned by the Goldwater- which will put meat to the bones of bed for assessments will involve the en- Nichols Act. It will allow DOD to de- the original vision document. The first tire joint community. JWFC will facili- velop the right force for the next cen- draft of this publication, The Concept tate the process; the services, CINCs, tury while involving the entire defense for Future Joint Operations (CFJO), was Joint Staff, and others will be the ex- establishment in the process. Coupled completed in August 1996 with copies ecutors of the assessments. with progress in joint doctrine and disseminated to the CINCs, services, One example of this process is the training, it will enable us to meet the and Joint Staff the next month. In ad- effort by the Command, Control, challenges of an uncertain world. JFQ dition to the JWFC personnel involved Communications, and Computer Di- in developing the document, the draft rectorate (J-6), Joint Staff, to develop a underwent extensive revisions in late series of exercises to determine the 1996 and early 1997 by working what and how of information superior- groups which involved all services, ity. Working with that directorate and representatives of the CINCs, and the affected joint activities, JWFC will col- Joint Staff. The preliminary coordinat- lect lessons from these exercises for se- ing draft CFJO was published in March nior level review. The lessons will then 1997. This document must never be be presented to a general/flag officer viewed as the “gospel” for future oper- working group at the Pentagon which ations. It was designed as a living, breathing concept. Obviously a small group such as the one at JWFC cannot 12 JFQ / Winter 1996–97 56