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Strategic Thinking: How Special Forces Officers Can Influence Success

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Strategic Thinking: How Special Forces Officers Can Influence Success Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive DSpace Repository Theses and Dissertations 1. Thesis and Dissertation Collection, all items 2019-12 STRATEGIC THINKING: HOW SPECIAL FORCES OFFICERS CAN INFLUENCE SUCCESS Gianos, Stephen J.; LaFountain, Jeremy J. Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/64164 Downloaded from NPS Archive: Calhoun NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS STRATEGIC THINKING: HOW SPECIAL FORCES OFFICERS CAN INFLUENCE SUCCESS by Stephen J. Gianos and Jeremy J. Lafountain December 2019 Thesis Advisor: Robert E. Burks Second Reader: Leo J. Blanken Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Form Approved OMB REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) December 2019 Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS STRATEGIC THINKING: HOW SPECIAL FORCES OFFICERS CAN INFLUENCE SUCCESS 6. AUTHOR(S) Stephen J. Gianos and Jeremy J. Lafountain 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING / ADDRESS(ES) MONITORING AGENCY N/A REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) The Department of Defense has identified deficiencies with Professional Military Education (PME) as officer educational demands are not satisfactorily matching expected requirements within the strategic environment. Many senior military leaders and academics concur with the critiques of PME outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, where former Secretary of Defense James Mattis asserted that the current “PME has stagnated … at the expense of lethality and ingenuity.” PME must evolve to match the demands of the strategic environment, which grows ever more complex, uncertain, ambiguous, and fluid. This evolution is even more significant for Army Special Forces (SF) field grade officers (FGO), who are tasked to provide unique solutions to unconventional problems. SF FGOs require skills commensurate to the tasks they are expected to perform in this strategic environment; they must be adaptive problem solvers. This thesis provides a basis of analysis for demonstration that strategic thinking is a timeless and proven skill that has enabled special operations officers to influence successful outcomes throughout modern military history. Furthermore, this research will show that a PME focused on decision-making, specifically developing SF FGO strategic thinking skills, will prepare them to influence successful outcomes and meet the nation’s strategic objectives now and in the future. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF strategic thinking, critical thinking, thinking in time, intuitive thinking, creative thinking, PAGES systems thinking, education, National Defense Strategy, Special Forces, Army, field 87 grade officer, Professional Military Education 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. STRATEGIC THINKING: HOW SPECIAL FORCES OFFICERS CAN INFLUENCE SUCCESS Stephen J. Gianos Major, United States Army BSBA, Widener University, 2008 Jeremy J. Lafountain Major, United States Army BSBA, East Carolina University, 2008 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DEFENSE ANALYSIS (IRREGULAR WARFARE) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 2019 Approved by: Robert E. Burks Advisor Leo J. Blanken Second Reader Kalev I. Sepp Chair, Department of Defense Analysis iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT The Department of Defense has identified deficiencies with Professional Military Education (PME) as officer educational demands are not satisfactorily matching expected requirements within the strategic environment. Many senior military leaders and academics concur with the critiques of PME outlined in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, where former Secretary of Defense James Mattis asserted that the current “PME has stagnated … at the expense of lethality and ingenuity.” PME must evolve to match the demands of the strategic environment, which grows ever more complex, uncertain, ambiguous, and fluid. This evolution is even more significant for Army Special Forces (SF) field grade officers (FGO), who are tasked to provide unique solutions to unconventional problems. SF FGOs require skills commensurate to the tasks they are expected to perform in this strategic environment; they must be adaptive problem solvers. This thesis provides a basis of analysis for demonstration that strategic thinking is a timeless and proven skill that has enabled special operations officers to influence successful outcomes throughout modern military history. Furthermore, this research will show that a PME focused on decision-making, specifically developing SF FGO strategic thinking skills, will prepare them to influence successful outcomes and meet the nation’s strategic objectives now and in the future. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 A. THE PROBLEM ........................................................................................1 B. THE END STATE .....................................................................................2 C. THE ROADMAP .......................................................................................4 II. PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION ...................................................5 A. ARMY OFFICER PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION .............................................................................................6 B. ARMY FIELD GRADE OFFICER EDUCATION ................................7 C. LITERATURE REVIEW: THE DEFICIENCIES OF ARMY PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION .......................................9 D. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................12 III. ESTABLISHING THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC THINKING SKILLS .................................................................................................................15 A. THE CONTEMPORARY AND FUTURE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT .....................................................................................15 B. SPECIAL OPERATIONS .......................................................................18 C. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES ....................................................................19 D. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................21 IV. CORE COMPETENCIES OF MILITARY STRATEGIC THINKING ........23 A. THE CASE FOR STRATEGIC THINKING........................................23 1. Defining Strategic Thinking ........................................................24 B. COGNITIVE COMPETENCIES OF STRATEGIC THINKING ......25 1. Systems Thinking .........................................................................26 2. Thinking in Time..........................................................................27 3. Critical Thinking ..........................................................................27 4. Creative Thinking ........................................................................28 5. Intuitive Thinking ........................................................................28 C. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................28 V. STRATEGIC THINKING, A TIMELESS SKILL ..........................................31 A. SYSTEMS THINKING ...........................................................................31 1. General Stanley McChrystal .......................................................31 2. Guerrilla Warfare Strategy in the Philippines, 1942–1945 ......34 vii B. THINKING IN TIME..............................................................................36 1. Establishing a Permanent Unconventional Warfare Capability, 1952–65......................................................................36 2. First Village Stability Operation, Afghanistan 2009 ................38 C. CRITICAL THINKING: ........................................................................41
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