Maneuver Warfare - Human Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Psychology

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Maneuver Warfare (MW)

The Way To Fight Back

Maneuver Warfare (MW)

• What is it?
  • “A warfighting philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a series of rapid, violent and unexpected actions which create a turbulent and rapidly deteriorating situation which he cannot cope.” FMFM1, Warfighting
• How can this be dangerous to the enemy?
  • Emphasis is focused to destroy the enemy morally vice just w/in the physical and mental realm.
  • “The moral is to the material as three to one” - Napoleon.
  • Thorough understanding and employment of mw concepts. USMC MW concepts provide all marines a basic foundation to plan and execute MW ops. MW concepts will naturally cause the friendly force to produce a rapid decision cycle, which when employed, will help crush the enemy aggressively, rapidly and with extreme prejudice.

Maneuver Warfare (MW)

• Key MW concepts in accordance w/ USMC doctrine (continued)
  • Decentralized command & control (C2)
    • Commander’s intent - commander’s end state as to what he wants done to the enemy. Must be known two levels up. Keeps higher, adjacent and sub elements in sync. Intent can be same as mission for platoon & below
    • Mission statement - tells you what to do & when, but not how.
    • Mission tactics - your mission to support commander’s intent. Provides task and purpose to those assigned to prosecute the mission.
    • Focus of effort - task that is required to ensure the success of the mission.
    • Main effort - unit assigned to accomplish focus of effort
    • Surfaces & gaps -
      • Avoid surfaces - results in slowing momentum or attrition warfare
      • Exploit gaps by penetrating enemy’s weakness and driving deep to shatter enemy’s ability to fight i.e., destroying C2/C4I nodes, artillery, log nodes etc.
      • Finding gaps is done by employing recon pull. Whatever recon elements finds the gap, then becomes the focus of effort in ref to support and accomplishing the mission. Recon pull is not mentioned in USMC doctrine, but is noted here since it is believed by the author of this brief as being an important concept needing further observation and employment.

So What Now?

• Purpose of briefing the MW concepts thus far, is to show how all

Marines must synchronize their minds as a unit, vice an individual,

in order to accomplish an assigned mission in garrison or the field.

• Practicing the mindset in everyday matters will result in a more

dynamic “make it happen” type unit, vice a unit always waiting for

guidance from higher headquarters. Not taking initiative.

• Next to learn is the thought process needed to execute the mission

in a manner needed to break the enemy’s will.

Fighting Back

• Focusing on the basics
  • Exploit the traditional Marine culture of (intel and warfighting)
    • HUMINT a significant, underdeveloped need,
    • Individual competence in warfighting and understanding conflict
  • Learning Boyd's cycle and MW concepts
• Effective I&W - focus on knowing the enemy, his culture and way of conflict, not focused on technical surveillance.
• Plan now/rehearse now/fight later
• Initiative, initiative, initiative!! - And a Marine culture that allows and takes advantage of initiative. Practice MW concepts in garrison as well as the field.
• Sensitizing
  • Science, tech, weather, crime, sociology, psychology, etc

Colonel John Boyd

• Rebel enlisted/fighter pilot/man of character, recognized “as smart and competent by marines”
• “Hallmark - interested in understanding the truth about conflict, wherever it led him.” Source # 15.
• Developed “competitive decision making on the battlefield.”
  • 40 second Boyd
  • Boyd cycle (aka OODA loop)
    • Attacking enemies’ thought process and shattering his morale/decision making process
• Priorities (in order)
  • People
  • Ideas
  • Hardware

Aids To Executing The Boyd Cycle

In A Rapidly Changing Environment

• Keep things simple and flexible
  • Well rehearsed SOPs/templates
  • Decision making games
  • Think out of the box (be unorthodox in your thinking)
• People not afraid to be themselves & make mistakes

(boldness/initiative/judgment)

• Strong character
  • Leadership traits & principles
  • Faith/religious beliefs
  • Develop good instincts
  • Develop an internal flow state based on constant rehearsal and strong character

Aids To Executing The Boyd Cycle In A Rapidly

Changing Environment

• Training like you are going to fight
  • Individual training
    • Initiative driven, done on own time if needed.
    • Training & rehearsals should become part of your instincts.
    • React drills
  • Unit training
    • Same as above
    • Assigning people w/ certain abilities to the right jobs, cross train later in order to create depth w/in your section.
• Professional military education
  • Builds your awareness to support your orientation and observation phases of the Boyd cycle. The more ideas the better as long as you can think, adapt, and manipulate data for your needs.

OODA Loop:

Observation

• What’s happening?
  • Where’s the enemy?
  • What are his surfaces & gaps -
    • Where are his critical vulnerabilities, and how can I neutralize him?
    • What opportunities is the enemy presenting to me that I can exploit?
    • What strengths do I need to avoid?

OODA Loop:

Orientation

• Assessing your current situation
  • Shaped by your alertness, desire, education, culture and accumulated experiences.
  • How to I carry out my commander’s intent and mission based upon this current observation?
  • What choices can I/he make?
    • What are his/my limitations?
    • What are his/my surfaces & gaps? How can I/he exploit them?
    • What are my/his surfaces & gaps? How can I/he exploit them?
    • How can I put the enemy in a dilemma? How can he put me in a dilemma?

OODA Loop:

Decision

• Third platoon is now my point of main

effort (focus of effort)

• I now direct the majority of my fire support

assets to third platoon’s mission.

• My remaining forces will create a diversion to

draw the enemy’s attention away from the gap

by third platoon.

OODA Loop:

Action

• Third platoon has just called for fire deep in the enemy’s rear and destroyed all artillery pieces. They are about to attack the C3 node.
• Second platoon will go and reinforce third platoon. First platoon will attack enemy forces from the south east as a diversion. Sniper observer teams w/ division recon will seize key terrain and call for fire on time critical targets threatening our current position.
• Enemy forces have just surrendered.
• Now the decision cycle begins again during this evolution for this company commander. But, while all of these independent decisions and activities are taking place, other small unit leaders are conducting their own OODA loops in order achieve the commander’s intent and mission.

Conclusion

• This concludes the basic orientation to AW, 4GW and MW.

Competitive decision making is an art and skill that must be developed day in and day out as a way of life so decisions can become more second nature, more instinctive in that your mind can process information way faster subconsciously than consciously.

• The next page includes sources for further research, study,

practice and teaching. Semper fidelis …