Ukraine’s war is an orchestra - and its generals conduct operational art | Defence in Depth

Conducted by a commander who then directs his or her staff to explore specific ideas, operational art is a military activity. It starts once the political leadership has decided quite why the military lever of national power is to be employed.

This is expressed in what is known as the End State, which should describe the military situation that is required to make possible the desired political outcome. Once the commander knows this end state, he or she will then know what’s expected of them and where the limits are.

Even if the political and military leadership are in alignment, identifying the end state is tricky. Look at Ukraine. Is shoving Russian forces back to the lines of Feb 23rd last year good enough? It’s arguably an easier task for the military than ejecting them from the whole country. But will that only store up problems for the future? Is it domestically acceptable?

#ukraine #strategy #war #russia

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