CIAO DATE: 04/04

The Advent of a New Way of War: Theory and Practice of Effects Based Operations

Abstract

The successful conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom has led to much publicity and claims of the coming of age of a new way of war known as effects based operations (EBO). However, EBO is not a new concept. It has its roots in strategic thinking of ancient thinkers like Sun Tzu and Clausewitz, and more recent thinkers like Liddell Hart and Giulio Douhet. In practice, the principles of EBO have also been crudely applied from the Second World War onwards. Despite its lack of novelty, there has been resurgent emphasis in EBO after Operation Desert Storm in the post-Cold War era. The main objective of this resurgence was to consider how a future Desert Storm might be won in less time and with far fewer troops. Subsequently, the thinking evolved into knowing how and where to apply precise force to achieve a rapid and decisive victory.

Over the last 13 years, the thinking on EBO has evolved, and six theories of what EBO is have emerged. The six theories also indicate the different levels of sophistication for the practice of EBO. The level of practice of EBO depend on the military capabilities that can be brought to bear on operations and includes a full range of capabilities from sensing, the ability to manage knowledge, and the ability to create effects via kinetic and non-kinetic means. The capabilities required to conduct EBO, the extent of their use in military operations conducted since 1990, especially in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the strengths and limitations of these capabilities are examined to provide evidence of the current state of practice of EBO. The paper asserts that successful conduct of EBO requires not only a diverse set of military capabilities, but also a strong emphasis on professional military education to enable the soldier to better operate in a complex environment.

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