The Operational Arch

Former Major General Costanza shares insights on leading a division into the future fight, emphasizing the importance of time, space, and operational art. The discussion covers challenges faced by division commanders, multi-domain operations, strategic planning for division staff, empowering officers through communication, and reimagining operational art in modern warfare.

BG Nicholson discusses Security Assistance and Foreign Military Sales, emphasizing the importance of sharing military technologies and the challenges faced in timely delivery. He also highlights the benefits of the SAMs program for military officers and explores the subjective nature of operational art in military strategy. The conversation wraps up with book and podcast recommendations on American history and entrepreneurship.

In this episode we say goodbye to last year's hosts, and introduce our new hosts. We also briefly go over what you as our listener can expect for content over the next year. New Hosts: J.D. Corless, Active Duty Air Force Tom Haydock, Army National Guard Sheila Holder. Active duty Army Military Brian Lander.  active-duty Marine Officer Jesse Valles, Army National Guard Aaron Warren, Active-duty Space Force

Mr. Sebastian Bae, a wargaming expert, discusses integrating board games into military training, incorporating moral and ethical decision-making into game design. He explores the importance of wargaming for strategic thinking and decision-making skills, challenges of diverse educational methods in military training, ethical decision-making in game design, randomness in war game design, and strategic insights into the Latorl Commander Indo-Pacific game for military training.

Sebastian Bae, a wargaming expert, discusses its utility in military planning as an educational tool. He emphasizes the importance of incorporating wargaming in the military planning process and the influence of scope on board game creation. The podcast touches on strategic applications, decision-making in combat scenarios, and the need for leaders to practice beyond traditional exercises.

Dr. Ben Zweibelson, from USSPACECOM, challenges traditional Center of Gravity analysis in warfare, exploring emergent systems in conflict. The podcast discusses the evolution of military strategies across different domains, contrasts Western and Eastern philosophies on war, and explores the fusion of design thinking with military planning. Dr. Zweibelson emphasizes the need for innovative approaches in military education and doctrine to adapt to future challenges.

Season 1 episode 11 of the Operational Arch is part one of our conversation with guest Dr. Ben Zweibelson where he talks all things Center of Gravity. Ben offers a deconstruction of COGs by taking a look at the models the concept is born from, and why those models might explain why COG analysis may be becoming less relevant as the systems around us become increasingly complex. Dr. Zweibelson is the Director for the U.S. Space Command’s (USSPACECOM) Strategic Initiatives Group (SIG). Previously, Ben was the lead design educator/facilitator for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) through the Joint Special Operations University. A retired U.S. Army Infantry officer and veteran of multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ben has an undergraduate degree (BA in Fine Arts) in Graphic Design from the University of Connecticut, three different master’s degrees (Louisiana State University, Air Command and Staff College, US Army School of Advanced Military Studies) and a doctorate in Philosophy from Lancaster University (UK). Ben is also the author of the recently released book "Understanding the Military Design Movement: War, Change, and Innovation." Links to Dr. Zweibelson's Publications: - Understanding the Military Design Movement: War, Change, and Innovation https://a.co/d/eotFjmb - "Rhizomes: In Paradox to ‘Centers of Gravity’ and Centralized Hierarchies in War" https://aodnetwork.ca/rhizomes-in-paradox-to-centers-of-gravity-and-centralized-hierarchies-in-war/ - Part 1 and Part 2 of the "Looking to the Future" section in JAMS Vol 13, no. 2 https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/MCU-Journal/JAMS-vol-14-no-1/ MAJs Josh Bedingfield, Kesley Kurtz, and Dan Warner are the hosts for this episode. You can contact them at operationalarch@gmail.com with any questions you may have. School of Advanced Military Studies: https://armyuniversity.edu/CGSC/SAMS/SAMS Twitter: https://twitter.com/us_sams Intro and Outro Music: "On and On" by Christian Bedingfield

Dr. Jim Greer dives into John Boyd and John Warden's theories on warfare, highlighting their systems approach. They explore Boyd's Patterns of Conflict, Warden's Five Rings theory, and the impact of these theorists on modern military strategies. The podcast discusses the application of Boyd's theories in ongoing operations, evolution of military strategy, and leadership development. Emphasis is placed on system thinking, adaptation, and innovation.

Dr. Jim Greer, an expert in John Boyd's Patterns of Conflict, discusses moving beyond the OODA loop to understand conflict fully, emphasizing Boyd's holistic approach to warfare. Topics include the correlation of tactics and strategy in warfare, the impact of Boyd's work on operational art, the importance of visualization skills in a military context, unleashing cognitive leadership in strategy, and the strategic importance of attacking the enemy's morale.

COL Andrew Morgado and Dr. Bruce Stanley discuss the role of practice in operational art, highlighting the importance of history, doctrine, and theory, and how these elements shape practitioners. They provide insights into the future of the School of Advanced Military Studies and discuss the qualities they look for in potential students.