The Mumbo-Jumbo of Design
The Mumbo-Jumbo of Design:
Is this the Army’s EBO?
by Andrew B. Nocks
Download the Full Article: The Mumbo-Jumbo of Design
The United States Army (and Joint Community) has been on a Design path before. In 2002, the United States Air Force began its campaign to explain to the broader joint community the power and value of the emergent concept of Effects-based Operations (EBO). In a condition setting white paper, it stated upfront that “…the concept of EBO is not well understood and requires further elaboration to ensure it is used properly. EBO is not a new form of warfighting, nor does it displace any of the currently recognized forms of warfare. EBO is a way of thinking or a methodology for planning, executing, and assessing operations designed to attain specific effects required to achieve desired national security outcomes.”
The joint community embraced what the Air Force was selling and EBO began its proliferation across the services, to include the United States Army. “While EBO is not a joint or Army doctrinally approved concept, many commanders have found EBO beneficial, and incorporated aspects of the concept into their decision-making and staff process. Effects-based operations is both a way of thinking about operations and a set of processes and procedures for planning, executing, and assessing operations.” After a period of several years and continuous dialogue, discussion and debate internal and external to the Army, in July 2008 General James N. Mattis, USMC, who commanded the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), issued a decree that EBO in and of itself was dead as a foundational concept for joint or service operations. General Mattis stated ” After a thorough evaluation, it is my assessment that the ideas reflected in EBO, ONA, and SoSA have not delivered on their advertised benefits and that a clear understanding of these concepts has proven problematic and elusive for US and multinational personnel…. It is my view that EBO has been misapplied and overextended to the point that it actually hinders rather than helps joint operations.”
Download the Full Article: The Mumbo-Jumbo of Design
Lieutenant Colonel Andrew B. Nocks, U.S. Army, Retired, serves as an Assistant Professor in the Center for Army Tactics, U.S. Army Command and General Staff School. He holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy and a M.S. in Administration from Central Michigan University. He served in numerous command, operations and planning positions during his 22 years of active duty service. His last operational assignment was with the 3rd US Army, Coalition Forces Land Component Command’s (CFLCC) Deep Operation Coordination Cell (DOCC) during OEF-1.
