Operational Environment

Anderson, I really liked the way you explained the operational environment and how it pertains to the hybrid threat. I thought your description of the hyprid threat in an operational environment was very accurate. I agree that the enemy has a way of changing their tactics and procedures very rapidly. I think we have to be able to change as an Army very quickly and become more adaptable to meet new threats. I was interested to learn about slat armour and how it can stop RPGs. I think this certianly is a good counter to urban ambush tactics used by a hybrid threat in an operational environment. I agree with you that countries all over the world are going to constantly be changing the way they do business to counter whatever we have as the United

I was surprised to see that time was not mentioned as a key learning point for American forces. Every war that we have been involved in which a hybrid threat was present we have not truely won in the end. This is what I like to call the "long Game". It seems to me that American politicians and generals seem to forget that if we go to war without a declaration of war then in the end we will always come out a little poorer and less secure as a country. The reason I give this example is that the way our founders framed war. War had to be defensive or "just". The people had to vote on in and declare it. This check and balance limits us to really only one kind of foe. That foe is a force that is capable of striking us across the Pacific or Atlantic oceans or a foe that is able to overcome border security. It stands to reason that if they can attempt to invade or destroy us then they would likely be a near peer threat that is conventional in nature. This kind of war is much easier to conduct, because when you can destroy the army of an attacking foe, then you win, the attacking government surrenders, the United States wins the war and comes

This style of warfare is always changing and always fluid with the operational environment. Often times the conventional force is as a severe disadvantage as it is slow to react and can be easily manipulated into positioning itself in to a position of defeat. For example, the British army during the revolutionary war was the most powerful military force on the face of the planet. However the United States militia teamed with the Continental Army were still effective against the British. The British fought in battle lines, wore bright red coats, and had a very regimented style of fighting. The US militia was able to overcome this by using camouflage, blending into the civilian population, and leveraging the Continental Army as a distraction from the real