Demystifying Operational Design

Current Joint Doctrine Fails to Advance Operational Design The purpose of joint doctrine is to advance the operational effectiveness of US forces. The way in which joint doctrine accomplishes this is through standardization of processes and terminology. The most current versions of the Joint Publications 1-0, 3-0 and 5-0 were recently revised to expand upon the definitions and relationship between operational art and operational design. Despite these revisions, the joint publications fail to integrate the concepts into a usable process. Thus, current joint doctrine fails to advance the concept of operational design. The definitions and explanations of operational art, operational design and operational design elements in Joint Publications 1-0, 3-0 and 5-0, lead one to believe that there are 17 operational design elements (tools) used in a process (operational design) to create a framework (blueprint) for an underlying campaign or operation.