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The Department of the Army (2015) highlights that the desired end state defines the preferred conditions, relationships, political factors, or other circumstances within the OE. Moreover, the end state represents the overarching operational goal of higher levels of command and nests within critical strategic decisions. American commanders clearly articulated their desired end state to all levels of command in Vietnam. COL Brown issued the order to search and destroy the fleeing NVA forces to LTC Hal Moore (Builder et al., 1999). Staff members identify the future state of other actors to assist in framing the problem in the OE (Department of the Army, 2015). Additionally, knowing alternative end states help the commander and staff understand points of contention or support between others and their end state.
The Army Design Methodology: Enhancing Decision-Making in a Complex World
Mind mapping begins with a single variable and ends after the planning team identifies all secondary variables and their relationships (Department of the Army, 2015). Also, mind mapping works well as a visual aid through symbols, lines, diagrams, and pictures representing relationships. While using the visual aid, planning teams can continue understanding the situation through more detailed meta-questioning and questioning assumptions. Lastly, the group uses four ways of seeing to understand how relevant actors view others, view themselves, and how actors view each other. Fortunately, as previously stated, the CSM, or SGM, acts on behalf of the commander at times to enable understanding among staff members and planners.
Army Design Methodology: Framing the Operational Environment
Commanders and staff members cannot frame a problem if a problem statement is too vague, narrow in definition, or contains presumed solutions. To avoid poorly framing a problem, a practical approach would include an open discussion by a commander and their staff using the problem framing tools and techniques. Questioning assumptions and brainstorming effectively identifies obstacles and frames the problem. This work addresses a void in the literature discussing the use of Design Methodology to understand contemporary conflict that often manifests as small wars. Much of the existing work on the topic focuses on various ways to employ the methodology and rarely present examples of successful use.
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Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat
In addition to using ADM concepts, leaders also have a unique set of tools and techniques to help frame the problem. Leaders serving in the highest echelons of the United States Army solve complex problems consistently. The Army design methodology (ADM) process enables commanders and staff members to frame an operational environment (OE), recognize problems, and create solutions. The ADM process also promotes continuous assessment of the OE and reframes problems and solutions, ensuring leaders think critically and creatively. Through the ADM process, commanders and staff members can understand, visualize, and describe operations (Department of the Army, 2015).
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Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Harold Moore, the commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, initiated the framing of the OE of Ia Drang on 13 November 1965, one day before the execution of the assault. During this minimal timeframe, LTC Moore did not allow his staff to gain a clear understanding of the OE. Instead, according to Moore (1965), LTC Moore briefed his commanders and staff on the potential enemy situation and operational plan after the unit consolidated at the landing zone X-RAY (LZ X-RAY). LTC Moore should have taken every step to understand the current state of the OE before the assault. LTC Moore communicated the end state to his staff and commanders but neglected to articulate contingencies.
This is a more strategic method of planning that appears to be a true form of art, coincidentally, it is known as Art of Design or Operational Art. According to the Department of the Army (2015), the planning team must assist the commander in understanding the operational variables, relevant actors, physical environment, and how each interacts with the other. Systems thinking is a key concept in which a series of interrelated components interact within the system.
Army Design Methodology: Operational Art in Combat
LTC Moore did not achieve the desired end state because the overall framing of the OE suffered. LTC Moore did not use a written narrative in framing steps and instead relied solely on verbal commands. While LTC Moore and his battalion inflicted hundreds of casualties on the NVA, the American forces also suffered heavy losses.
Using the Army Design Methodology Process to Frame Problems
According to the Department of the Army (2015), “brainstorming helps the team develop ideas and variables for further research and analysis” (p. 3-6). To properly frame the problem, leaders must identify obstacles, and brainstorming is a technique that facilitates the ADM framework. Brainstorming in an organization’s public area, such as a multi-purpose room, will promote a shared understanding amongst the staff framing the problem.
“The SGM is key in the training and operations planning process, leveraging their experience and vast technical and tactical knowledge to advise the staff and the Operations Officer” (Department of the Army, 2020, p. 2-5). With an understanding of the ADM process, key concepts, and activities, the SGM can expertly facilitate framing a solution in an organization through working groups. For instance, the SGM works within working groups to develop solutions to organizational problems. SGM collaborating with the staff enables observation of their creative and critical thinking and may provide coaching when needed.
CDRs and staff also check if the desired end state will remain the same, and if no new variables have come up for a need to formulate a new operational approach. This article offers a case study for application of design to a real world problem, the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment’s combat operations in the Tikrit and ad Dawr districts of Salah ad Din province, Iraq, from 2009 to 2010. In the process, we learned a number of lessons and developed a number of techniques that leaders can easily transfer to any situation that calls for a design solution.
Soldiers and key leaders of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division are actively applying Operational Art and current Army Doctrine to assist in the planning of military operations. Since long before the initial invasion into Afghanistan Oct. 19, 2001, US troops have relied heavily upon the Military Decision Making Process for planning combat operations. While many people are comfortable with the status quo, change is inevitable and necessary, even more so in extended operations in a counterinsurgency environment.
Many descriptions also seek to convert the methodology into a linear progression, much like traditional military planning processes. Additionally, U. S. Joint Doctrine conflates Design Methodology with the traditional operational art concept of Operational Design which hurts the ability to fully understand both important concepts. S. Marine planner present on the ground to describe the first successful use of Design Methodology in the Battles of Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. It stresses the need to employ the methodology as its originators intended; as conceptual planning meant to be an open, flowing group discussion of what is learned about the complex problem at hand. Leaders that understand framing the problem within the ADM process have an inherent responsibility to facilitate the activity in organizations. A key influencer within the Army is the Sergeant Major (SGM), who serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the commander and staff sections within an organization.
However, LTC Moore and his staff put little effort into understanding the current state of the OE before their assault on LZ X-RAY. When asked, Col. Ostlund highlighted the priorities he has laid out to best prepare The Duke Brigade for decisive action when in the Army's available pool of forces. Like other ADM activities, there is no recommended format for developing an operational approach. However, some activities that help the CDR and staff to frame solutions include reviewing the environmental and problem frames, formulating an operational approach, and documenting results (DA, 2015).
With that belief in mind, the 1st Cavalry Division Commander, Major General (MG) Harry Kinnard, ordered his 3rd Brigade, led by Colonel (COL) Tim Brown, to execute an air assault to prevent the NVA from crossing into Cambodia. LTC Moore and his staff attempted to understand the current OE by conducting a brief flyby of the area and reports from external cavalry units. The current state of the OE included an open landing zone for his entire battalion and an unknown number of enemies nearby.
Moreover, collaboration encourages people to speak candidly, which is an asset in planning. Critical thinking identifies relevant facts, statistics, and details to understand a situation and enables timely decision-making (Department of the Army, 2015). American politicians relied heavily on critical thinking to determine how the OE may trend, although LTC Moore appeared more reactive than forward-thinking. The Army Design Methodology Educational Program of Instruction consists of one-week of graduate level academic instruction followed by two-weeks of intense strategic planning. In the first week, Duke Leadership gathered intelligence and information on Afghanistan from all available resources, to include recent experience, and brought them into the classroom.
To solve ill-structured problems, Army leaders use ADM. To properly facilitate framing a problem in organizations, leaders must understand the problem framing activity, key ADM concepts, and tools and techniques. Framing is a key concept used in the ADM process that uses models of reality to understand, organize, and interpret situations to solve problems (Department of the Army, 2015). Moreover, visual models and narratives enhance framing activities by demonstrating the relationship between actor goals, culture, history, and other variables within the OE. The senior enlisted leader, sergeant major (SGM), or command sergeant major (CSM) assists the commander by assessing, leading, and directing the staff. Additionally, the CSM uses years of experience to assist staff members in the framing process by facilitating the understanding of the relationship between variables and how they have reacted in past scenarios (Department of the Army, 2022a).
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