Agility
Agility requires fast action and flexibility. Agility means acting faster
than the enemy to exploit his weaknesses. It implies a constant effort to
pit friendly strength against enemy weaknesses. Agility requires the use of
maneuver to concentrate friendly strength in enemy vulnerable areas.
Agility also requires the employment of tactics which exploit friendly
technical, human, or geographical advantages.
Superior agility is achieved through:
o
Good intelligence systems.
o
Imaginative planning.
o
Flexible operational techniques.
o
Responsive tactical units.
Synchronization
Synchronization combines the ideas of economy of force and unity of effort.
It requires that no effort be wasted during operations. A designated main
effort must be supported by all available means.
This effort must be
maintained or shifted as the battle or campaign progresses.
This is
necessary to ensure synchronization.
The battle situation can change
quickly in nonlinear combat. Maneuver units at all levels must be able to
continually support their main efforts.
Synchronized, violent execution is the essence of decisive combat.
Synchronization involves combined arms whose actions reinforce and
complement one another on the AirLand Battle.
Synchronization applies to
both conventional forces and, when authorized, chemical and nuclear weapons.
Commanders must plan and conduct their operations keeping in mind the
potential use of nuclear weapons.
The plan must incorporate synchronized
continuous operations in light of the use of nuclear weapons.
Why AirLand Battle Doctrine?
In the previous discussion, we have learned what AirLand Battle doctrine
means.
It is equally important to understand how AirLand Battle doctrine
evolved.
Perceived Shortcomings of the 1976 Doctrine
The U.S. Army's doctrine has undergone major changes since the Vietnam War.
Current doctrinal reform began soon after our withdrawal from Vietnam. The
U.S. Army shifted its focus from a jungle warfare orientation to the defense
of our NATO Allies.
Concurrently, the 1973 Middle East War was fought.
Many new weapons and concepts were used for the first time in this war. All
this caused the Army to greatly revise operational doctrine.
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