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Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.
-Gen. George Washington
One of our most important missions in U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command is to deliver the future Army. This is not simply modernizing organizations, updating doctrine from the most recent fight, applying the latest technology to produce new equipment, or fixating on a single potential adversary. We must first think clearly about the future with a grounded under- standing of the continu- ities in war. War remains human in nature, and hu- man conflict is a result of a clash of wills instigated by competing cultural contexts, political opinions and friction due to a redistribution of power and competition for resources. From this under- standing, we must engage in a professional discussion that establishes an intellectual framework for the future Army. Upon this framework, we can build the Army Operating Concept.
The Army writes concepts to address challenges. These challenges may arise from a change in the operational envi- ronment (foreign or domestic), national security guidance, or the need to address a known gap in existing capabilities. When faced with one or more of these challenges, we must adjust our capabilities to adapt for crisis and innovate for the future.
When AirLand Battle was published in 1981, its specific purpose was to deal with a known enemy-the Soviet Union; in a known place-the central plains of Europe; and with a known coalition-NATO. Because of the number of known variables, we were able to develop very specific weapons to fight this known enemy: the famous "Big 5," the M1 Abrams Tank, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, and the Patriot missile system.
The challenge AirLand Battle was addressing was how to "fight outnumbered and win." Therefore, we developed the Big 5 to attack uncommitted echelons, maneuver to create mass, shoot on the move and win the battlefield calculus. In many cases, it became a math problem: trying to service as many targets as possible in as short a time as possible. The focus was on delivering firepower.
Today, we have a very different challenge. Our new Army Operating Concept (AOC) is being developed to...