Operational Decision-Making: Theory and Practice

One of the principal responsibilities of the commanders at any level  is to make timely and sound decisions for the employment of their forces. Despite all the technological advances, military decision-making is still largely an art rather than a science. Various automated decision aids can never replace the commander’s experience and judgment in making a sound decision. The act of exercising command consists of making decisions and directing their execution. The larger the scale of a military objective, the greater the importance of making sound decisions. In terms of their effect on the situation, strategic, tactical, and operational combat decisions are differentiated. Operational decisions are aimed at having  a major effect on a campaign or major operation during its planning, preparation, and execution phases. Today, the time for making decisions by the operational commanders is often shorter than it was in the past. Their impact  is much greater than in case of tactical decisions.  Very often, the  operational commanders must make their decisions on the basis of  instinctive judgment and without benefit of a careful analysis of the situation, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative option.