U.S. Army commanders seek to balance the requirements to conduct offensive, defensive and stability operations simultaneously. Within this framework, commanders have also had to balance the conduct of traditional military actions and non-military activities. In order to do so effectively commanders employ operational art. The forthcoming Army Doctrinal Publication, Unified Land Operations presents the "principle that operational art is the connection between strategic objectives and tactical actions, and provides a common construct for organizing military operations." This manual defines operational art as "the pursuit of strategic objectives, in whole or in part, through the arrangement of tactical actions in time, space, and purpose. While the Army did not introduce the concept of operational art into its doctrine until 1986, commanders had previously applied it. The United States'; war in the Philippines from 1899-1902, provides one example of a conflict in which commanders had to conduct combat and stability operations simultaneously, and the campaign of Brigadier General J. Franklin Bell is an example of how a commander employed operational art to do so. General Bell's campaign in the Batangas Province demonstrates how a commander employed operational art to arrange traditional military and non-military tactical actions in pursuit of strategic objectives.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.