Full Range of Military Operations Now and in the Future

Military Operations Now and in the Future:

In the past few years, there have been substantial concerns and discussions on how to balance the need to "win" the current(s) with the need to be prepared for the next war. The mission of the United States Army is to not only fight but also win the country's present wars by devoting complete measures. The need to win these present wars is attributed to the fact that the military is in harm's way and the need to protect the nation's interest. While these present conflicts are crucial, future war(s) are also regarded as important. As documented in the Joint Vision 2020 strategic approach, the Army needs to prepare for an uncertain future now while fighting to win its present conflicts. These preparations are based on the likelihood of the country to face a varying spectrum of interests, challenges, and opportunities that can win conflicts and contribute to peace. However, balancing the need to win current conflicts and adequately prepare for an uncertain future requires the full range of military operations now and in the future.

Full Range of Military Operations:

America's global responsibilities and interests and future challenges requires efforts that are governed through strategic and operational concepts of global presence, decisive force, strategic agility, and power projection. The ability of the nation's Armed Forces to be increasingly lethal, more precise, and faster in the future is dependent on investments in and development of new military capabilities ("Joint Vision 2020," p.1). Future operational success requires flexibility and responsiveness based on integration of core competencies and the utilization of capabilities of the Total Force. The full range of military operations now and in the future requires the development of the most effective force through intellectual, organizational, technical, operational, and doctrinal integration.

The full range of military operations now and in the future is supported and executed by major air, space, and cyber capabilities. These capabilities are based on comprehensive program of exercises and experiments that are carried out by the combatant commands and Services. In addition to sea, air, space and cyber are key domains in operational capabilities and the development of full range military operations now and in the future. The full range of military operations requires the Army to carry out prompt, sustained, and integrated operations across air, space, and cyber domains.

One of the major air capabilities to support the full range of military operations now and in the future is the development of alternative sources of energy for aircraft propulsion. Actually, the development of alternative sources of energy should be a major priority for the Air Force and Department of Defense in their research and development initiatives. This capability is crucial to support full spectrum of operations because the present dependency on petroleum increases vulnerability to the threat of increases in energy-prices or oil shock ("Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power," p.xii). Secondly, the nation should maintain its edge in stealth technologies in light of the increasingly complicated enemy integrated air defense environments and rival use of fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

With regards to the space domain, the main capability to support the full range of military operations now and in the future is to develop new sensing technologies to meet emergencies associated with weapons of mass destruction. These initiatives may involve interagency exercises and simulations that are supported and conducted by combatant commands and Services. Secondly, space capabilities to support the full spectrum of operations would require the development of forensic capabilities to attribute weapons of mass destruction in a quick and accurate manner. These forensic capabilities can be developed through better cooperation between agencies, partners, and allies.

The cyber domain can support the full range of military operations now and in the future by ongoing development of unmanned technologies for different missions. America should remain committed and devote its efforts towards intellectual and technical innovation because of strategic environment changes due to technological change. The need for ongoing development of cutting-edge technologies for a range of missions is because of the use of technology by adversaries to create sophisticated methods of causing threats and harm. These measures support the execution of the full range of military operations now and in the future because it provides innovation, full dimensional protection, and precision engagement.

Capability Area to Accept Risk:

Similar to most of the country's military operations, the Air Force has experienced a period of tremendous changes and challenges in the past decade. Some of the major changes include movement of unprecedented personnel and equipment to remote areas, introduction of new technologies, and creation of intelligence, control, and command operations. Since these changes have been characterized with significant challenges, there is need to determine the capability area the air force can best accept risk in the future, though it's a difficult process. Based on recent events, the capability area where the Air Force can best accept risk is cyber domain since potential savings have not been fully realized in installations (Donley par, 15). The Air Force can accept risk in this area by tracking efficiencies in research and development, training, logistics, and installation support. This is a logical area of extra risk because the Air Force needs to consolidate scarce resources in maintaining and realizing an increasingly efficient basing structure.