Page 53 - Navy Journal 219
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Revisiting Campaign ...
b. Inter Services’ synergy needs to be tested through joint training and
exercises to enhance operational efficiency. Multinational doctrinal
alignment should be fostered to keep pace with modern armed forces
operating in regional domain.
c. Campaign planning tools should be examined and understood in light of
levels of war. War Gaming and various Command Post exercises should
be used to educate Officers in this regard. Digital War Gaming Centers
and Command hubs are recommended for Armed Forces to enhance the
operational efficiency.
d. Military training institutions should continue to enrich training
packages by augmenting various forums, seminars and workshops.
e. Military training should not be cocooned within the operational field
only but should also develop close military-media and civil-military
interface. Social Command Centers to institutionally integrate various
national stakeholders are thereby encouraged.
Conclusion
Levels of war are interconnected. In any conflict spectrum, the strategic
level decides, the operational level plans and the tactical level fights. In earlier
days, Kings were also the military planners where the operational level was
virtually inactive and hibernated. Thanks to Clausewitz, Liddell Hard and other
strategists for excavating the existence and significance of the operational level
in a campaign. The campaign plan commences once the strategic level of the
state determines the purpose of war and issues the strategic guidance. The
military operational level acts as the connector between the levels translates the
strategic desire into operational design, plans the campaign and mobilizes the
elements of war. The Operational level also examines the feasibility and
acceptability of the plan - what we want at the end of war (End), how we should
achieve it (Ways) and using what forces and resources (Means).
While dealing with the campaign planning tools, we should remember
that Centre of Gravity (CG) is the hub of all power which we need to identify
rightly. CG can vary in different levels of war, nature of conflict and theatre. At
operational level, military Line of Operation(LOOP) has to aim to eliminate the
operational CG of the enemy so that we can achieve the military end state to
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