U.S. Army and Nonlinear Operations

This monograph analyzes that characteristic of the modern battlefield known as nonlinear operations, as defined in FM 100-5, Operations. The purpose is to determine if there is a firm linkage between U.S. Army doctrine and the training of U.S. soldiers and units to execute the doctrine. The nonlinear operations conducted by the Soviets against the German Army in the Great Patriotic War are examined for Soviet doctrinal and experiential precursors to the current Soviet doctrine which is designed to force nonlinearity on an enemy so as to cause his collapse rapidly and throughout the depths of his defenses. The conclusion is that while Army doctrine perceives the peril accurately, the training of our soldiers and units falls well below the standard required to counter the Soviets.