Operational level of war

In the field of <a href="/facts/Military_theory/g1nFVwvx">military theory</a>, the operational level of war represents the level of command that connects the details of <a href="/facts/Military_tactics/gm9zr57y">tactics</a> with the goals of <a href="/facts/Military_strategy/BP51zfYK">strategy</a>. 
In U.S. <a href="/facts/Joint_warfare/jJgXKfMr"> Joint</a> <a href="/facts/Military_doctrine/2dmUtwTv">military doctrine</a>, operational art is "the cognitive approach by commanders and <a href="/facts/Staff_(military)/RdHIuRR8"> staffs</a>—supported by their skill, knowledge, experience, creativity, and judgment—to develop strategies, campaigns, and operations to organize and employ military forces by integrating ends, ways, and means". It correlates <a href="/facts/Political/1gDNy3RP">political</a> requirements with military power. Operational art is defined by its military-political scope, not by force size, scale of operations or degree of effort. Likewise, operational art provides theory and skills, and the operational level permits doctrinal structure and process. 
The operational level of war is concerned with four essential elements: time, space, means, and purpose. Through means such as directing troops and allocating (limited) resources (among others), operational art aims to achieve political goals by producing an optimal (or at least near-optimal) generation and application of military power. For example, proposals may be generated to identify where to build defensive structures, how many, what kind, and manned by how many troops; a proposal may be accepted, or reworked. During the 20th century, the nascent field of <a href="/facts/Operations_research/H5yJkV5n">operations research</a> flourished as a result of military efforts to improve <a href="/facts/Military_logistics/rm7npHRQ"> logistics</a> and <a href="/facts/Decision-making/NbJYprSw">decision-making</a>.
The operational level of war sits between <a href="/facts/Military_tactics/gm9zr57y">tactics</a> (which consists of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield) and <a href="/facts/Military_strategy/BP51zfYK">strategy</a> (which involves aspects of long-term and high-level <a href="/facts/Theater_(warfare)/kkupDxQM"> theatre</a> operations, and government <a href="/facts/Leadership/37hL95TH">leadership</a>).
The <a href="/facts/Soviet_Union/m7wWsPto">Soviet Union</a> was the first country to officially distinguish this third level of military thinking, which was introduced as part of the <a href="/facts/Deep_operation/xQcHaP3P">deep operation</a> <a href="/facts/Military_theory/g1nFVwvx">military theory</a> that <a href="/facts/Soviet_Armed_Forces/w42mNgsQ"> Soviet armed forces</a> developed during the 1920s and 1930s and <a href="/facts/Deep_operation/xQcHaP3P">utilized</a> during the <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">Second World War</a>.

Operational level of war open-in-new

Operational level of war