Season 1 episode 10 of the Operational Arch is part two of our conversation with guest Dr. Jim Greer as he takes us on a deep dive into John Boyd and his Patterns of Conflict. We continue our conversation on how we should engage Boyd, and explores how John Warden's Five Rings theory collates with Boyd's theories. Boyd and Warden's theories remain complimentary in that they take a systems approach to understanding warfare, and may well be last pair of military theorists whose ideas...

Season 1 episode 9 of the Operational Arch is part one of our conversation with guest Dr. Jim Greer as he takes us on a deep dive into John Boyd and his Patterns of Conflict. He explains how we tend to get caught up in Boyd's OODA loop, often at the expense of Boyd's other insights into the nature and character of conflict. He explores the concept of the OODA loop as a point of departure and offers a perspective we should think about and employ Boyd's theories in a more complete way to help...

Season 1 Episode 8 of the Operational Arch is the final episode in our limited series exploring the pillars of operational art. Our guests this week are COL Andrew Morgado, the Director of the School of Advanced Military Studies, and Dr. Bruce Stanley, the Director of the Advanced Military Studies Program. They explore the relationship between practice and experience, how history, doctrine, and theory inform the practitioner, and how operational art remains ever the same even as our...

Season 1 Episode 7 of the Operational Arch is the third episode in our limited series exploring the pillars of operational art. We peel back the unique role doctrine plays in conducting operational art and training operational artists. Our guest, COL (Ret.) Rich Creed, discusses how history and theory informs doctrine, which theorists and history were key in developing "Multi-Domain Operations," the U.S. Army's new operating concept, and why a common language is so important when dealing with...

Season 1 Episode 6 of the Operational Arch inspects the human dimension of the U.S. Army's multi-domain operating concept. Our guest, LTC Nate Finney, frames the discussion against the complex INDOPACOM operational environment and offers techniques on how planners and leaders should think about the human dimension to create relative advantage. LTC Finney is the creator and co-founder of The Strategy Bridge, a founder of the Military Writers Guild, and a founding member of the Defense...

Season 1 Episode 5 of the Operational Arch focuses on how irregular warfare fits into the operational level of war and operational art. Our guest, COL (Ret.) Derek Jones, representing the Irregular Warfare Center, discusses how irregular warfare is just one aspect of an irregular approach to campaigning and provides insights on how to perceive and frame irregular operations across the range of military operations. COL Jones is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, special plans officer...

Season 1 Episode 4 of the Operational Arch is the second in a limited series examining the pillars of operational art. In this episode, we dive into the role theory plays in conducting operational art and training operational artists. Our guest, Dr. Scott Gorman, provides insights on how planners can leverage theory to understand how the world works and frame options to achieve desired endstates. Dr. Gorman is the Director of the Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program (ASLSP) at the...

Season 1 Episode 3 of the Operational Arch is the first in a limited series examining the pillars of operational art. In this episode, we dive into the role history plays in conducting operational art and training operational artists. Our guest, Dr. Dean Nowowiejski, discusses the U.S. Army's interesting relationship with history, how leaders can become historically minded, and the value history plays in planning and executing current and future operations. Dr. Nowowiejski is the U.S. Army...

Season 1 Episode 2 of the Operational Arch examines the evaluation and assessment of operational art to determine how students of war may glean lessons, good or bad, on how forces employ operational art. Our guest, Australian Army Major General (Ret.) Mick Ryan, provides insights on the relationship between design and operational art, the strategy of corrosion in relationship to attrition or annihilation, how we can prepare ourselves to understand when intangible aspects of war such as...

Season 1 Episode 1 of the Operational Arch examines the value of operational art to the joint force and what commanders expect from their operational artists and planners.  Our guest is the Commander of the Combines Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, LTG Milford H. Beagle. LTG Beagle discusses his experiences as a planner, the concept of courage in planning, and how planners can use their skills to accomplish the mission and provide returns to their superiors, peers, and subordinates. LTG...

Greetings and welcome to the Operational Arch, the official podcast of the School of Advanced Military Studies, dedicated to bridging the gap between tactics and strategy through the study of operational art and the operational level of war. This episode will establish the foundation for this podcast by exploring who we are and what we are about. Meet your hosts as they introduce themselves, offer a brief explanation of SAMS, describe the mission and purpose of the Operational Arch, and look...