Military operation
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/67.84.173.89|67.84.173.89]] to last version by Mrg3105
This article describes three distinct, but related terms: military operations, Operations as military events, and operational level of war.
==Military operations==
'''Military operations''' is the application of policy, planning, management, and administration principles in employment of [[military force]]s and [[resource]]s (for example in a [[Military campaign]]) in daily formation and unit activities to achieve a specific [[goals]] or [[objectives]]. This is a [[concept]], and should not be confused with military Operations as events. It involves the [[planning]], [[mobilization]] of forces, the [[intelligence process]] of [[collect]]ing, [[analyzing ]]and [[disseminating]] of [[information]], allocating resource and determining time requirements.<br />
A military operation can involve the carrying out of a [[military strategy|strategic]] or operational manoeuvre through management of logistic movement of forces. In general [[military tactics|tactical]] are used to refer to ,military [[combat operation]]s on military [[mission]]s which are the [[subset]] of military operations. <br />
In the process of carrying out the operation the forces may require provision of services, training, or administrative functions to allow them to commence, continue and end [[combat]], including in the conduct of movement, supply, attack, defense, and maneuvres needed to achieve operation's objectives in a battle or a campaign. <br />
Most military operations have distinct [[process]] features that must reach achieved [[milestones]] for the operation to [[progress]]. As a shortlist these features in a strategic operation are:
*'''Conception''' through identification of specific goals or objectives
*'''Intelligence''' gathering and analysis to identify enemy capability to resist
*'''Planning''' of military force and its use
*'''Administration''' of mobilisation, equipping, training and staging of forces
*'''Commencement''' of the operation, and achieving of initial tactical mission objectives
*'''Defeating''' the larger enemy forces in their operational depth
*'''Ending''' the operation whether the strategic goals have been achieved or not
==Military operations==
'''Military operations''' are often referred to by a [[code name]] for the purpose of [[security]]. Military operations are often known for their more generally accepted common usage names then their actual [[operational objectives]].
<blockquote>Parallel to and reflecting this framework for operations are organized elements within the armed forces which prepare for and conduct operations at various levels of war. While there is a general correlation between the size of units, the area within which they operate, and the scope of mission the perform, the correlation is not absolute. In fact, it is ultimately the mission that a unit performs that determines the level of war within which it operates.<ref>Glantz, ''Soviet Military Operational Art'', p.46.</ref></blockquote>
Military operations can be classified by the scale and scope of force employment, and their impact on the wider conflict. The scope of military operations can be:
* Theatre: this describes an operation over a large, often continental [[area of operation]] and represents a strategic national commitment to the conflict such as [[Operation Barbarossa]], with general goals that encompass areas of consideration outside of the military such as the economic and political impacts.
* Campaign: this describes either a subset of the theatre operation, or a more limited geographic and operational strategic commitment such as [[Battle of Britain]], and need not represent total national commitment to a conflict, or have broader goals outside of the military impacts.
* Operation: this describes a subset of a campaign that will have specific military goals and geographic objectives, as well as clearly defined use of forces such as the [[Battle of Gallipoli]], which operationally was a [[combined arms]] operation originally known as the "Dardanelles landings" as part of the [[Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign|Dardanelles Campaign]], where about 480,000 [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] troops took part.
* Battle: this describes a tactical combat event of contest for specific area or objective by actions of distinct units. For example the [[Battle of Kursk]], also known from its German designation as Operation Citadel, included many separate battles, one of which was the [[Battle of Prokhorovka]]. The "Battle of Kursk" in addition to describing the initial German offensive operation (or simply an offensive), also included two Soviet counter-offensive operations [[Operation Kutuzov]] and [[Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev]].
==Operational level of war==
The [[Operational warfare|operational level of war]] occupies roughly the middle ground between the campaign's strategic focus and the tactics of a battle. It describes "a distinct intermediate level of war between military strategy, governing war in general, and tactics, involving individual battles."<ref>Glantz, ''Soviet Military Operational Art'', p.10.</ref> For example during [[World War II]] the concept applied to use of [[Army (Soviet Army)|Soviet Tank Armies]].<ref>Armstrong, ''Red Army Tank Commanders'', p.13.</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of military operations]]
**[[List of World War II military operations]]
*[[Military operations other than war]] (MOOTW)
*[[Effects-Based Operations]] (EBO)
*[[Iraq Military Operations 2003 to Current - Alphabetical]]
== Notes ==
<references/>
== References ==
* Armstrong, Richard N. ''Red Army Tank Commanders: The Armored Guards''. Atglen, Penn.: Schiffer Military History, 1994. ISBN 0887405819.
* Glantz, David M. ''Soviet Military Operational Art: In Pursuit of Deep Battle''. London; Portland, Or.: Frank Cass, 1991. ISBN 0714633623, ISBN 0714640778.
[[Category:Military operations]]
[[bg:Военна операция]]
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[[es:Operación militar]]
[[fr:Opération militaire]]
[[he:מבצע צבאי]]
[[id:Operasi militer]]
[[it:Operazione militare]]
[[ja:作戦]]
[[nl:Militaire operatie]]
[[sl:Vojaška operacija]]
[[fi:Operaatio (sodankäynti)]]
[[th:ปฏิบัติการทางทหาร]]
[[sv:Militär operation]]