Systemic Operational Design: Bringing Efficacy to the Operational Level of War

The premise of this monograph, "Systemic Operational Design: Bringing Efficacy to the Operational Level of War," is that the Elements of Operational Design are incapable of linking the tactical employment of forces to strategic objectives and that Systemic Operational Design is a viable alternative. This monograph introduces the reader to Systemic Operational Design by providing an application of it to the Global War on Terrorism. The narrative generated by this application serves as a vehicle to explore the depths of Systemic Operational Design and enables a comparison to the Elements of Operational Design. Qualitative analysis of key points made in the narrative answers the monograph's research questions: First, given the failure of the Elements of Operational Design to produce a strategic victory in the GWOT, are they still relevant in the age of globalization? Second, is Mass a valid principle of war on the Twenty-first Century battlefield? Last, should terrorism be classified as an act of war or as a crime?