Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine 2007

NORWEGIAN ARMED FORCES JOINT OPERATIONAL DOCTRINE 2007 FFOD Engelsk.indd 1 13-03-08 09:46:37 TITLE: Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine PUBLISHED BY: The Defence Staff DEVELOPED BY: Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College PHOTO: Norwegian Defence Media Centre, Regional Command North Norway and the Naval Staff COVER AND ILLUSTRATIONS: Ingun Redalen White, Norwegian Defence Media Centre GRAPHIC REPRODUCTION: Brødr. Fossum AS, Oslo 1st edition. ISBN: 978-82-92566-02-2 Short title: FFOD Security classification: Unclassified Effective date: 15 June 2007 Legal authority: Organisation and Instruction Authority Responsible authority: Defence Staff Applies to: Norwegian Armed Forces Last amended: 15 June 2007 Subject: Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine FFOD Engelsk.indd 2 13-03-08 09:46:37 Foreword by the Chief of Defence The tasks of the Armed Forces span a wide range of challenges in the field of security policy both at home and abroad. We have moved from a situation in which the Armed Forces had a clearly defined and all-embracing threat which we were trained and equipped to resist – and which we could actually plan for – to a far more complex and unpredictable spectrum of possible scenarios. It is no longer sufficient to make concrete plans. Today we need to understand the possibilities and limitations of military force and, not least, the political and social context in which we operate. For these reasons a knowledge-based understanding of the role and nature of military force has become more important than static defence planning. The Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine (FFOD) is thus an important document. Not simply to lay down set procedures and rules for action – there are other documents to do that – but to serve largely as a teaching tool which can help the officer corps develop a common understanding, a shared way of thinking, a joint conceptual frame of reference and thus a foundation on which to build a common professional culture. In simple terms, the doctrine can be said to have been implemented when the officers pose the same questions relating to operational situations, not only when they come up with the same answers. Military operations call for commanders and staff officers who can approach operational problems intellectually and analytically, with the ability to assess the use of military force and its effect in relation to political objectives, who can distinguish the essential from the peripheral and who can weigh the short-term against the long-term. Advantages and drawbacks associated with different cour- ses of action have to be assessed and weighed before decisions are taken and given force as orders. Military operations are governed by political objectives. There can therefore be no infallible recipe for success, apart from adhering to the principle that the use of force must reflect its political purpose both in the form it takes and the extent to which it is exercised. In these times an important function that a doctrine must fulfil is therefore to illuminate precisely those dilemmas and conflicting considerations that officers must take into account in an operational situation, and to contribute to the development of a creative ele- ment that renders the use of military force more an art than a science. FFOD is a professional military document, and as such has to be subject to and adapted to the tasks and framework set out in the relevant political policy documents. It is, however, important that a military doctrine should embody an appro- FFOD Engelsk.indd 3 13-03-08 09:46:47 ach and a perspective that, as far as is possible, will make it timeless and enduring. The development and implementation of doctrines takes time. FFOD places emphasis on an operational foundation that is based on effects- based-, network-based-, and manoeuvrist approaches to operations, while at the same time going more deeply into three operational methods, namely the manoeuvre-, the attrition- and the stabilizing methods. Thus FFOD forms the foundation for our approach to operational challenges across the whole spectrum of tasks the Armed Forces may face, and it marks out the way ahead in a medium term perspective. This edition of FFOD replaces that issued in the year 2000 which was the first joint operational doctrine developed for the Norwegian Armed Forces. The aim at that time was to introduce a doctrine as ‘a point of departure’ for the further development of doctrine. The time has now come to take this a step further and to issue a revised and updated version, more closely adapted to the roles and tasks of the Norwegian Armed Forces in the world of today. Sverre Diesen General Chief of Defence FFOD Engelsk.indd 4 13-03-08 09:46:48 Contents 1. Introduction. 7 Points of departure and ambition. 7 The doctrine and other guidance documents . 9 The structure of the doctrine . 10 2. Armed Forces’ operations and the operational framework. 1 The conflict spectrum. 1 Armed Forces’ tasks . 1 Armed Forces’ operations . 1 Armed Forces’ rationale . 29 The overall approach to complex conflicts. 29 Operations – the political framework. 0 Operations – the legal framework. Rules of Engagement (ROE). 7 The operational environment. 9 The technological dimension . 8 . Armed Forces’ Operational Foundation. Fundamental ideas. Flexibility. 7 Armed Forces’ operational methods. 60 . The doctrine’s theoretical and conceptual framework. 67 Combat. 67 Combat capability. 68 Combat domains. 69 Combined actions. 71 Basic functions . 7 The manoeuvrist approach and manoeuvre theory . 7 The effects-based approach to operations. 82 The network-based approach and Network Based Defence. 90 . Joint operations – components and functions. 10 Military operations . 10 Operational art . 10 Command and organisation of a joint operational force. 106 The land component and land operations . 108 The sea component and maritime operations. 112 The air component and air operations. 117 The special forces component and special operations . 122 Operational functions. 128 6. The military profession . 17 Rationale and dimensions of the military profession . 17 Professional identity and core values. 19 Military leadership . 162 Mission command – our command philosophy. 16 Armed Forces’ responsibility for our personnel. 16 appendix A: CENTRAL CONCEPTS . 16 B: COMMAND AND CONTROL CONCEPTS . 177 C: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS . 18 D: BIBLIOGRAPHY . 191 FFOD Engelsk.indd 5 13-03-08 09:46:49 6 FFOD Engelsk.indd 6 13-03-08 09:46:59 1. Introduction 0101. The preparation and execution of joint operations are dependent on a solid conceptual foundation and on Armed Forces’ personnel having a common understanding of the tasks to be carried out. This edition of the Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine (FFOD 07) sets out overall guidelines as to how the Armed Forces should approach today’s challenges and those of tomorrow. Points of departure and ambition 0102. FFOD 07 has the following points of departure: • The greater part of the tasks carried out by the Armed Forces, and the conflicts with which service units have to deal, are by definition something other than “war” in the traditional sense. They are complex and characterised by unclear boundaries between peace, crisis and armed conflict. The handling of all the challenges that this implies requires a broad spectrum of coordinated military and civil contributions. • The Armed Forces must be able to contribute to the nation’s defence in times of peace, crisis and armed conflict, either in a leading or a supporting role. The Armed Forces must also be able to contribute forces to operations abroad and to operate jointly with allies or other actors. • The fundamentals for national operations and operations abroad are the same, and all operational units of the Armed Forces must be able to deal with operations in both settings. • A well developed professional culture, based on shared values and a common understanding, is essential to our ability to carry out our complex tasks. WHAT IS A DOCTRINE? – DIFFERENT PRIORITIES A military doctrine can take many forms. Firstly it can constitute an aid to the command and control process, in which case it will place emphasis on the description of methods and processes and the definition of concepts. NATO’s AJP series (Allied Joint Publications) provides an example of such doctrines. Secondly a doctrine can be pro- duced as a theoretical basis for military activities and would then be focused on reasoning based on military theory and security policy. Thirdly a doctrine can be ori- ented towards the development of a professional culture within the military organisation. It will then place weight on imparting those ideas, values and attitudes which should characterise the organisation. The earlier edition of the Armed Forces Joint Operational Doctrine (FFOD 2000) had both theoretical and cultural ambitions. First and foremost its aim was to inculcate and implement the concept of a manoeuvrist approach. FFOD 07 is an example of the third category. 7 FFOD Engelsk.indd 7 13-03-08 09:47:02 0103. This doctrine is intended as a tool for the development of a joint operational culture, starting with the individual, to give robustness in complex operations both at home and abroad. The theoretical content is limited to what is relevant for the Armed Forces’ Operational Foundation and the foundation itself has an emphasis on how we should approach our operational challenges. Flexibility and the combined fundamentals of effect-based-, network-based- and manoeuvrist approaches constitute the joint operational culture that the Armed Forces wants to develop. In this context, approach means adopting as second nature the essence of certain theoretical attitudes at the individual level. The Armed Forces choose to focus on these fundamentals instead of describing exact procedures in order to avoid being associated too closely with definite concepts, procedures or technological solutions which can quickly become outdated.

Load more