JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — On Aug. 1, 2024, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command released The Operational Environment 2024-2034: Large-Scale Combat Operations — a complete update to the 2019 TRADOC Pamphlet 525-92, The Operational Environment and the Changing Character of Warfare. This new edition is designed to describe what the operational environment will look like to our LSCO-focused Army.
According to Ian Sullivan, the TRADOC G-2 deputy chief of staff for intelligence, it was time for a reexamination of the operational environment.
“Things are changing globally. We are seeing important things coming out of current conflicts that we have to describe to the Army so it can be ready,” he said.
TRADOC G-2's foundational document identifies 12 critical conditions of LSCO, and presents five implications for the U.S. Army's training, education and doctrine. These conditions and implications illustrate the complexity of LSCO and provide the Army with much to consider as it adapts its doctrine, trains its Soldiers, and develops its leaders to execute LSCO effectively.
The 12 conditions of LSCO described in The Operational Environment 2024-2034 cover a wide array of possibilities the Army may face in future conflicts.
In the foreword, Gen. Gary Brito, TRADOC commanding general, states, “To achieve victory in the operational environment of the 21st century, the U.S. Army must know [our] enemies like it knew the Soviets in the 20th century.”
To that end, several LSCO conditions highlight threat actors’ abilities to challenge the Army through anti-access/area denial, potential use of weapons of mass destruction and threats to the homeland. Additional conditions speak to concepts highlighted in FM 3-0 like multidomain threats on an increasingly transparent battlefield, the proliferation of uncrewed systems, impacts of information operations, increased lethality and the potential to conduct dense urban warfare in LSCO.
The TRADOC study also assesses possible implications for the Army that could result in organizational, training or equipment changes. Among these is the relationship between maneuver, fires and protection as defense from overhead observation and attack drones is an increasing concern. Overall, the publication recognizes the advantage that comes from highly trained Soldiers and leaders.
As Gen. Brito points out, “Our Soldiers — our people — are our greatest strength and we must do everything we can to strengthen the profession of warfighting.”
The Operational Environment 2024-2034: Large-Scale Combat Operations is available for download on the TRADOC homepage and the TRADOC G-2 Operational Environment Enterprise site.
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