“The nature of modern

warfare demands that we

fight as a joint team. This

was important yesterday,

it is essential today, and

it will be even more

imperative tomorrow.

Joint Vision 2010 provides

an operationally based

template for the evolution of

the Armed Forces for a

challenging and uncertain

future. It must become a

benchmark for Service and

Unified Command visions.”

John M. Shalikashvili

Chairman

of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1. Introduction

3. Threads of Continuity

8. Dynamic Changes

17. Conduct of Joint

Operations

32. Implementing Joint

Vision

34. Conclusion

CJCS Vision

America’s Military Preparing

for Tomorrow: Quality People

Trained, Equipped and Ready

for Joint Operations

~Persuasive in Peace

~Decisive in War

~Preeminent in Any

Form of Conflict

Contents
The conceptual

template for how

we will channel the

vitality of our

people and

leverage

technological

opportunities to

achieve new levels

of effectiveness in

joint warfighting

Joint Vision

2010
Joint Vision 2010 is the conceptual template for how

America’s Armed Forces will channel the vitality and

innovation of our people and leverage technological

opportunities to achieve new levels of effectiveness in

joint warfighting. Focused on achieving dominance across

the range of military operations through the application of new

operational concepts, this template provides a common

direction for our Services in developing their unique capabilities

within a joint framework of doctrine and programs as they

prepare to meet an uncertain and challenging future.

Introduction

1

Joint Vision

2010

America’s Military: Preparing for Tomorrow

JV 2010 begins by

addressing the expected

continuities and changes in

the strategic environment,

including technology trends

and their implications for our

Armed Forces. It recognizes

the crucial importance of our

current high quality, highly

trained forces and provides

the basis for their further

enhancement by prescribing

how we will fight in the early

21st century.

This vision of future

warfighting embodies the

improved intelligence and

command and control

available in the information

age and goes on to develop

four operational concepts:

dominant maneuver,

precision engagement, full

dimensional protection,

and focused logistics.
Each of the operational concepts

incorporates America’s core strengths of high

quality people and information-age

technological advances, builds on proven

competencies, and focuses the development

of future joint capabilities. Together, the

application of these four concepts by robust

high quality forces will provide America with

the capability to dominate an opponent

across the range of military operations. This

Full Spectrum Dominance will be the key

characteristic we seek for our Armed

Forces in the 21st century.

Joint Vision 2010 then examines the six

critical elements required to transform the

operational concepts into joint capabilities:

people, leadership, doctrine, education and

training, organizational structure, and

materiel. In its conclusion, JV 2010 assesses

the challenges and opportunities in moving

toward implementation of the vision.

This vision draws on our most fundamental

source of strength—our people. People are

the Armed Forces; at the end of the day, our

success, in war or in peace, will rest

ultimately on the men and women of the

Armed Forces.

The skills and vitality of our people will also

provide the driving force for shaping change.

Channeling our strengths with this vision, we

will move toward a common goal: a joint

force—persuasive in peace, decisive in

war, preeminent in any form of conflict.

2
As we build our forces to this joint vision, there will be

strong threads of continuity with the contemporary

strategic and operational environment. Among these

threads are American goals and interests, as well as the

missions, tasks, strategic concepts, and quality of our

Armed Forces.

Threads of Continuity

America’s enduring goals

include: protecting the lives

and safety of Americans

both at home and abroad;

maintaining the political

freedom and national

independence of the United

States with its values,

institutions, and territory

intact; and providing for the

well-being and prosperity of

the nation and its people.

These goals, in turn,

generate American interests

which must be protected

and advanced. Our

fundamental interests lie in

enhancing US security,

promoting prosperity at

home, and promoting

democracy abroad.

The United States has

undertaken foreign and

security policies aimed at

securing these interests.

Ensuring strong relations

with our allies, protecting our

rights of transit on the high

seas, and enlarging the

community of free market

democracies are examples

of policies we are likely to

continue to pursue in the

years ahead. On the whole,

there is likely to be far more

continuity than change in

these interests and policies.

3

America’s Goals and Interests
To protect our vital national

interests we will require

strong armed forces, which

are organized, trained, and

equipped to fight and win

against any adversary at any

level of conflict. Concurrently, we must also be able

to employ these forces in

operations other than war to

assist in the pursuit of other

important interests.

The primary task of the

Armed Forces will remain

to deter conflict—but,

should deterrence fail, to

fight and win our nation’s

wars. In addition, we should

expect to participate in a

broad range of deterrent,

capabilities—we will fight if

we must—but will also use

these same capabilities to

deter, contain conflict, fight

and win, or otherwise promote American interests

and values.

To ensure we can

accomplish these tasks,

power projection, enabled

by overseas presence, will

likely remain the

fundamental strategic

concept of our future

force. We will remain largely

a force that is based in the

continental United States

(CONUS). However, our

permanently stationed

overseas forces,

infrastructure and

equipment, temporarily

deployed forces, and the

interaction between US and

foreign militaries together

demonstrate our

commitments, strengthen

our military capabilities, and

enhance the organization of

coalitions and multinational

operations to deter or

defeat aggression. Power

projection from the United

States, achieved through

rapid strategic mobility, will

enable the timely response

conflict prevention, and

peacetime activities. Further,

our history, strategy, and

recent experience suggest

that we will usually work in

concert with our friends and

allies in almost all operations.

America’s strategic nuclear

deterrent, along with appropriate national level detection

and defensive capabilities

will likely remain at the core

of American national security. However, the bulk of our

Armed Forces will be engaged in or training for

worldwide military operations. In these operations,

we will largely draw upon our

conventional warfighting

4

Missions, Tasks, and Strategic

Concepts of the Armed Forces
critical to our deterrent and

warfighting capabilities.

Our overseas presence and

highly mobile forces will

both remain essential to

future operations.

The Quality of Our Force

equipment are molded

into exceptionally able

forces through stressful

training, which closely approximates wartime conditions and requirements.

Since the mid-1980s, this

high quality has been the

essence of the Armed

Forces. Military operations

are planned knowing that

leaders truly understand the

requirements, the equipment

is operable and safe, and

the men and women at the

5

Currently, our Armed

Forces are the best

trained, best equipped,

and most ready force in

the world. The quality of our

people is unequaled at all

levels of the chain of

command. Leaders in each

of our Services are

developed through wellconceived, intensive, and

long-term programs. Our

equipment is first-rate and it

is sustainable in all

operations. Together, our

personnel, leadership, and
tasks across the range ofmilitary operations. Theseformal developmentprocesses are designed tobalance timing, costs, andoperational requirements,at each level of leadership.We will retain thoseinnovative processes toensure that we maintain thebest possible leadership forour Armed Forces.Realistic and stressfultraining has been theprimary way to keepreadiness high and prepareour men and women to facethe challenges of combat.Such training, consisting ofcarefully balanced programsof individual, crew, and largerorganizational training andassessments, is central totraining the way we will fight.From individual or crewmission simulators, throughfull-blown field exercises athome or abroad, realistic,evaluated training is and

he creation of

d procedures,

er more than

of experience,

ese Armed

most effective

manner

ese institutions

res, and the

orces they

ed, remain at

er of Joint

ople with the

ols, physical

tivation to serve

he military was

ng the

 for building a

robust, and

n the late 1970s,

nt of our

ed in the lowest

military

xaminations.

an 1 percent are

ry and over 90

 enlistees have

m high school.

needed to sustain ourquality force.Retention of highly trainedService members insufficient numbers has alsobeen a key requirement,and we intend to sustainthese efforts. Our first-termreenlistment rates have risenby 10 percent over the lastfifteen years. Higher retentionis the result of a committedeffort by top leadershipthroughout the governmenttoward raising careersatisfaction, improvingcommand climates, keepingpay competitive andbenefits stable, maintainingtime at home and deployedat an acceptable balance,and focusing on quality oflife initiatives.Another element of oursuccess has been effectiveleadership development.From deliberate and intensiveprocesses involving

6
7

The Foundation of Joint Vision 2010

PEOPLE

LEADER DEVELOPMENT

QUALITY

FORCES

QUALITY

FORCES TRAINING & READINESS

FIRST-RATE EQUIPMENT

must remain our best

combat multiplier. Joint,

coalition, and combined

training and exercises have

improved our interoperability

and understanding of the

strengths of each individual

Service as well as allies and

coalition partners. From the

individual warfighter to large

multinational forces, this

systematic approach has

enabled our men and

women to hone their skills in

practice many times before

ever having to perform

actual combat missions.

These training innovations

must be sustained.

Today, our highly trained,

quality force has the tools to

perform its warfighting tasks.

Just 15 years ago, our

forces were less well

equipped, spare parts

inventories were critically

short, and sustainability was

low. Since then, we have

modernized our force and

ensured that we procured

the parts and provided the

training required to take

full advantage of this

new equipment.

Technologically superior

equipment has been

critical to the success of

our forces in combat.

This first-rate equipment,

when combined with our

top quality forces, has

 been a key element of our

continuing operational

successes. We must

continue to ensure our

soldiers, sailors, airmen,
marines are fully capable of

fulfilling their required tasks

with equipment that is

engineered to provide

superior mission

performance as well as

safety and reliability. We

must maintain a careful

balance between equipping

and sustaining our forces

and between tooth and tail

in our force structure. We

must also work to assure

an efficient and effective

support structure and resources for all of our forces.

Accelerating rates of change will make the future environment more unpredictable and less stable, presenting

our Armed Forces with a wide range of plausible futures.

Whatever direction global change ultimately takes, it will

affect how we think about and conduct joint and multinational operations in the 21st century. How we respond to

dynamic changes concerning potential adversaries,

technological advances and their implications, and the

emerging importance for information superiority will

dramatically impact how well our Armed Forces can

perform its duties in 2010.

Dynamic Changes

8

The Imperative of Jointness

America’s Armed Forces are

smaller than we have been in

over 40 years, and we have

decreased the percentage of

our forces permanently stationed overseas. Faced with

flat budgets and increasingly

more costly readiness and

modernization, we should not

expect a return to the larger

active forces of the Cold

War period.

The American people will

continue to expect us to

win in any engagement,

but they will also expect

us to be more efficient in

protecting lives and

resources while

accomplishing the

mission successfully.

Commanders will be

expected to reduce the

costs and adverse effects of

military operations, from

environmental disruption in

training to collateral damage

in combat. Risks and

expenditures will be even

more closely scrutinized than

they are at present.

Simply to retain our

effectiveness with less

redundancy, we will need to

wring every ounce of

capability from every

available source. That

outcome can only be

accomplished through a

more seamless integration
of Service capabilities.

To achieve this integration

while conducting military

operations we must be

fully joint: institutionally,

organizationally,

intellectually, and

technically. Future

commanders must be able

to visualize and create the

“best fit” of available forces

needed to produce the

immediate effects and

achieve the desired results.

Multinational Operations

9

It is not enough just to be joint, when conducting future

operations. We must find the most effective methods for

integrating and improving interoperability with allied and

coalition partners. Although our Armed Forces will maintain

decisive unilateral strength, we expect to work in concert

with allied and coalition forces in nearly all of our future

operations, and increasingly, our procedures, programs, and

planning must recognize this reality.
There will continue to be

states or groups that oppose

or threaten American

interests and values or those

of our friends and allies.

Our recognition of these

threats and challenges will

continue to drive our national

security efforts.

Greater global interaction will

strongly influence the nature

10

Potential Adversaries

of future threats. Wider

access to advanced

technology along with

modern weaponry, including

weapons of mass

destruction (WMD), and the

requisite skills to maintain

and employ it, will increase

the number of actors with

sufficient military potential to

upset existing regional

balances of power.

Modern systems are

sufficiently powerful that

smaller numbers can

dramatically alter the threats

facing us. A number of

potential adversaries may

acquire the military hardware

to make themselves

distinctly more dangerous.

Our most vexing future

adversary may be one who

can use technology to make

rapid improvements in its

military capabilities that

ENHANCED

JOINTNESS

TECHNOLOGICAL

ADVANCES

POTENTIAL

ADVERSARIES

Dynamic Changes As We Move Towards 2010

MULTINATIONAL

OPERATIONS

INFORMATION

SUPERIORITY

A

Changing

World

A

Changing

World
provide asymmetrical

counters to US military

strengths, including

information technologies.

Alternatively, the high

leverage associated with

modern systems means that

significant improvements in

military capabilities can

occur very rapidly,

outrunning the pace of

compensating political or

military countermeasures.

The application of these

technologies against us may

also prove surprising. Our

adversaries will have an

independent will, some

knowledge of our

capabilities, and the desire

to avoid our strengths and

exploit vulnerabilities. We

anticipate the probability of

facing technological or

operational surprise will

increase in the period ahead.

In sum, the US must

prepare to face a wider

range of threats, emerging

unpredictably, employing

varying combinations of

technology, and

challenging us at varying

levels of intensity.

11

This era will be one of accelerating technological change.

Critical advances will have enormous impact on all military

forces. Successful adaptation of new and improved

technologies may provide great increases in specific

capabilities. Conversely, failure to understand and adapt

could lead today’s militaries into premature obsolescence

and greatly increase the risks that such forces will be

incapable of effective operations against forces with

high technology.

Long-range precision capability, combined with a wide

range of delivery systems, is emerging as a key factor in

future warfare. Technological advances will continue the

trend toward improved precision. Global positioning

systems, high-energy research, electromagnetic technology,

and enhanced stand-off capabilities will provide increased

accuracy and a wider range of delivery options. These

capabilities will increase the combat power available for use

against selected objectives, resulting in enhanced economy

of force and a higher tempo of operations.

Advancing Technology Trends
The ability to produce a

broader range of potential

weapons effects, from lesslethal to hard target kill, from

sensor-fused to directed

energy weapons, will further

enhance precision capability.

Advances in target effects

technologies will be

integrated into existing

weapons and give

commanders greater

flexibility. These

improvements will result in

increasingly discrete and

precise capabilities, which

can achieve optimum

results in both combat and

other operations.

Advances in low

observable technologies

and the ability to mask

friendly forces will also

continue over the next 15

years. Signature reduction

will enhance the ability to

engage adversaries

anywhere in the battlespace

and improve the survivability

of forces who employ it.

12
Implications of Technological

Advances on Our Armed Forces

Stealth will strengthen the

ability to accomplish

surprise, reduce overall force

requirements in many

operations, and make forces

less visible to an

unsophisticated or

disoriented adversary. Microminiaturization will also

promote signature reduction

and greatly increase the

capabilities available for

individuals and small units.

Concurrently, multispectral

sensing, automated target

recognition, and other

advances will enhance the

detectability of targets

across the battlespace,

improving detection ranges,

turning

night into day for

some classes of operations,

reducing the risk of fratricide

and further accelerating

operational tempo.

Improvements in

information and systems

integration technologies

will also significantly

impact future military

operations by providing

decision makers with

accurate information in a

timely manner. Information

technology will improve the

ability to see, prioritize,

assign, and assess

information. The fusion of allsource intelligence with the

fluid integration of sensors,

platforms, command

organizations, and logistic

support centers will allow a

greater number of

operational tasks to be

accomplished faster.

Advances in computer

processing, precise global

positioning, and

telecommunications will

provide the capability to

determine accurate locations

of friendly and enemy forces,

as well as to collect,

process, and distribute

relevant data to thousands

of locations.

Forces harnessing the

capabilities potentially

available from this system of

systems will gain dominant

battlespace awareness, an

interactive “picture” which

will yield much more

accurate assessments of

friendly and enemy

operations within the area of

interest. Although this will

not eliminate the fog of war,

dominant battlespace

awareness will improve

situational awareness,

decrease response time, and

make the battlespace

considerably more

transparent to those who

achieve it.

13

The combination of these technology trends will provide

an order of magnitude improvement in lethality.

Commanders will be able to attack targets successfully with

fewer platforms and less ordnance while achieving objectives

more rapidly and with reduced risk. Individual warfighters will

be empowered as never before, with an array of detection,

targeting, and communications equipment that will greatly

magnify the power of small units. Strategically, this

improvement will enable more rapid power projection and

reduced logistics tails. Operationally, within the theater, these
capabilities will mean a more rapid transition from

deployment to full operational capability. As a result, we will

improve our capability for rapid, worldwide deployment while

becoming even more tactically mobile and lethal.

The implications of this increased lethality for overall force

structure requirements are unclear. Given current

technology, today’s force structure is adequate to meet our

full range of global needs, but barely so. While these

prospective improvements in lethality clearly offer promise of

reducing the number of platforms and the amount of

ordnance required to destroy targets, many military missions

will require occupation of the ground, and intensive physical

presence. For these missions the promises of technology

are less certain, especially in environments such as cities

or jungles.

During all operations, advanced technology in the hands of

an adversary will increase the importance of force protection

at all echelons. Any efficiencies garnered by our offensive

systems must be underwritten by appropriate redundancies

to safeguard against unanticipated technological, strategic,

or operational surprise.

Adaptations to this increasingly lethal battlespace will

be warranted. These adaptations are likely to take the

forms of increased stealth, mobility, dispersion and

pursuit of a higher tempo of operations among elements

within the battlespace.

To cope with more lethal systems and improved targeting,

our forces will require stealth and other means of passive

protection, along with mobility superior to the enemy’s ability

to retarget or react to our forces. Increased stealth will

reduce an enemy’s ability to target our forces. Increased

dispersion and mobility are possible offensively because

each platform or each individual warfighter carries higher

14

More Lethal

Battlespace:

Will increase the

importance of

~Stealth

~Mobility

~Dispersion

~Pursuit of a Higher

Operational Tempo
lethality and has greater

reach. Defensively,

dispersion and higher tempo

complicate enemy targeting

and reduce the effectiveness

of area attack and area

denial weaponry such as

weapons of mass

destruction (WMD). The

capability to control the

tempo of operations and,

if necessary, sustain a

tempo faster than the

enemy’s will also help enable

our forces to seize and

maintain the initiative during

military operations.

Greater mobility and

increased dispersion will, in

turn, require additional

communications and

coordination capabilities

since the synchronization

of these dispersed elements

will become even more

important. Fortunately,

the technology for this

improved systems

integration is at hand.

The implications of improved

systems integration are both

profound and complex. New

technologies will allow

increased capability at lower

echelons to control more

lethal forces over larger

areas, thus leveraging the

skills and initiative of individuals and small units.

These capabilities could

empower a degree of

independent maneuver,

planning, and coordination

at lower echelons, which

were normally exercised by

more senior commanders

in the past. Concurrently,

commanders at higher

echelons will use these

technologies to reduce

the friction of war and

to apply precise centralized control when and

where appropriate.

Even for higher level

commanders, the

accelerated operational

tempo and greater

integration requirements will

likely create a more

stressful, faster moving

decision environment. Realtime information will likely

drive parallel, not

sequential, planning and

real-time, not prearranged,

decision making. The

optimal balance between

centralized and

decentralized command

and control will have to be

carefully developed as

systems are brought into

the inventories.

15
16

Emerging Importance

of Information Superiority

Throughout history, gathering, exploiting, and protecting

information have been critical in command, control, and

intelligence. The unqualified importance of information will not

change in 2010. What will differ is the increased access to

information and improvements in the speed and accuracy of

prioritizing and transferring data brought about by advances in

technology. While the friction and the fog of war can never be

eliminated, new technology promises to mitigate their impact.

Sustaining the responsive, high quality data processing and

information needed for joint military operations will require

more than just an edge over an adversary. We must have

information superiority: the capability to collect, process,

and disseminate an uninterrupted flow of information while

exploiting or denying an adversary’s ability to do the same.

Information superiority will require both offensive and

defensive information warfare (IW). Offensive information

warfare will degrade or exploit an adversary’s collection or use

of information. It will include both traditional methods, such as

a precision attack to destroy an adversary’s command and

control capability, as well as nontraditional methods such as

electronic intrusion into an information and control network to

convince, confuse, or deceive enemy military decision makers.

There should be no misunderstanding that our effort to achieve

and maintain information superiority will also invite resourceful

enemy attacks on our information systems. Defensive information warfare to protect our ability to conduct information

operations will be one of our biggest challenges in the period

ahead. Traditional defensive IW operations include physical

security measures and encryption. Nontraditional actions will

range from antivirus protection to innovative methods of

secure data transmission. In addition, increased strategic level

programs will be required in this critical area.

Information

Superiority

The capability to

collect, process,

and disseminate

an uninterrupted

flow of

information while

exploiting or

denying an

adversary’s

ability to do the

same.
17

Conduct of Joint Operations

Our forces have been largely organized, trained, and

equipped to defeat military forces of our potential

adversaries. Direct combat against an enemy’s armed

forces is the most demanding and complex set of

requirements we have faced. Other operations, from

humanitarian assistance in peacetime through peace

operations in a near hostile environment, have proved to

be possible using forces optimized for wartime

effectiveness.

Technological advances will magnify the advantages provided

by our high quality force. The promise provided by these

technologies is best viewed

from an operational

perspective. In the past, our

capabilities often required us

to physically mass forces to

neutralize enemy power. The

time needed to build up and

employ massed combat

forces, including the

platforms, weapons, and

associated logistics, required

to achieve success resulted

in military operations that

were largely sequential in

nature and tactics which too

often saw ground, maritime,

and air forces massed in

time and space.

By 2010, we should be

able to change how we

conduct the most intense

joint operations. Instead of

relying on massed forces

and sequential operations,

we will achieve massed

effects in other ways.

Information superiority and

advances in technology will

enable us to achieve the

desired effects through the

tailored application of joint

combat power. Higher

lethality weapons will allow

us to conduct attacks

concurrently that formerly

required massed assets,
18

assets at the place and time

most favorable to success.

When tied to a more rapid

resupply, reinforcement, and

reengagement capability,

they will be better able to

provide the best response at

less risk to themselves,

based on the mission

objectives and

circumstances of the

battlespace. Whether

operating from dispersed

locations or in close

proximity to each other, the

confidence of each individual

warfighter or crew will be

bolstered by enhanced

connectivity to comrades,

supporting elements, and

higher commands.

In sum, by 2010 we should

be able to enhance the

capabilities of our forces

through technology. This will,

in turn, expand our greatest

advantage: the adaptability,

initiative, teamwork, and

commitment of our people at

every level.

To exploit the enormous

potential of technology, we

must develop in a systematic

manner the full range of

applied in a sequential

manner. With precision

targeting and longer range

systems, commanders can

achieve the necessary

destruction or suppression

of enemy forces with fewer

systems, thereby reducing

the need for time-consuming

and risky massing of people

and equipment. Improved

command and control,

based on fused, all-source,

real-time intelligence will

reduce the need to

assemble maneuver

formations days and hours in

advance of attacks.

Providing improved targeting

information directly to the

most effective weapon

system will potentially reduce

the traditional force

requirements at the point of

main effort.

All of this suggests that we

will be increasingly able to

accomplish the effects of

mass—the necessary

concentration of combat

power at the decisive time

and place—with less need

to mass forces physically

than in the past.

This will enhance our

combat capabilities against

opposing military forces. To

be sure, this will not

obviate the ultimate need

for “boots on the ground”

in many operations, nor

will it relieve our Service

men and women of the

need to be physically

present at the decisive

points in battle or in other

operations, or to be exposed

to conditions of great danger

and hardship.

However, in all operations

technological advances and

our use of information will

give our warfighters at the

individual, crew, and small

unit levels major qualitative

advantages over potential

adversaries. Our forces will

be able to sense dangers

sooner. They will have

increased awareness of the

overall operational

environment, including the

situation of friendly forces,

allowing them to make better

decisions more rapidly. They

will have an enhanced ability

to produce a range of

desired effects by bringing

together the correct mix of
19

required enhancements. This

process must begin with a

new conceptual framework

for operations.

The basis for this

framework is found in the

improved command,

control, and intelligence

which can be assured by

information superiority.

These are the most

straightforward applications

of much of the new

technology; however, the

full impact of these

technologies is more

profound. Enhanced

command and control, and

much improved intelligence,

along with other

applications of new

technology will transform

the traditional functions of

maneuver, strike,

protection, and logistics.

These transformations will

be so powerful that they

become, in effect, new

operational concepts:

dominant maneuver;

precision engagement; full

dimensional protection;

and focused logistics.

These operational

concepts will provide our

forces with a new

conceptual framework.

Emerging Operational Concepts

Full-Dimensional Protection

Focused Logistics

Precision Engagement

Dominant Maneuver

Technological

Innovations

Joint Forces

Coalition Partners

Massed

Effects

Information Superiority
20

to attack enemy centers of

gravity at all levels and

compels an adversary to

either react from a position

of disadvantage or quit.

Dominant maneuver will

require forces that are

adept at conducting

sustained and

synchronized operations

from dispersed locations.

They must be able to apply

overwhelming force in the

same medium and create

New Operational Concepts

Dominant Maneuver

Dominant maneuver will be the multidimensional

application of information, engagement, and mobility

capabilities to position and employ widely dispersed joint

air, land, sea, and space forces to accomplish the

assigned operational tasks. Dominant maneuver will allow

our forces to gain a decisive advantage by controlling the

breadth, depth, and height of the battlespace.

Through a combination of asymmetric leverage, achieved by

our positional advantages, as well as decisive speed and

tempo, dominant maneuver allows us to apply decisive force

Dominant Maneuver: Across the Range of Military Operations

All Weather Day or Night

Command

Post

Decisive Speed

& Tempo

Postional Advantage

Connectivity

- Asymmetric Leverage

- Enemy Must React From a

Position of Disadvantage or Quit

Result

Near Real-Time Evaluation

Improved Sensors

Simultaneous Dissemination
21

Altogether, the organizational

concept of dominant

maneuver is a prescription

for more agile, faster moving

joint operations, which will

combine air, land, and

maritime forces more

effectively to deliver decisive

combat power.

footprint will make it much

more difficult for an adversary

to find and attack our forces.

Other defensive measures,

low observable technologies,

signature reduction, and

enhanced deception

capabilities will provide similar

advantages for protection

and improve our chances for

mission success.

asymmetric advantages by

attacking cross-dimensionally,

such as air or sea against

ground or ground and sea

against air defenses. These

forces must have the ability

to outpace and outmaneuver

the enemy. Current systems,

enhanced by information

superiority, will provide a

clearer picture of enemy and

friendly locations. Information

superiority also will allow joint

commanders to coordinate

widely dispersed units,

receive accurate feedback,

and execute more

demanding, higher precision

requirements. Increasingly

lethal direct and indirect

fire systems, with longer

ranges and more accurate

targeting, will increase the

punch of these forces as

they maneuver.

The tailor-to-task

organizational ability will

provide the additional

advantage of self protection

—another key element for

successfully achieving

dominant maneuver. The

combination of seamless

operations with reduced

“buildup time” and a smaller,

more widely dispersed

Precision Engagement

Precision engagement will consist of a system of

systems that enables our forces to locate the objective

or target, provide responsive command and control,

generate the desired effect, assess our level of success,

and retain the flexibility to reengage with precision when

required. Even from extended ranges, precision engagement

will allow us to shape the battlespace, enhancing the

protection of our forces.

Information operations will tie together high fidelity target

acquisition, prioritized requirements, and command and

control of joint forces within the battlespace. This

combination will provide a greater assurance of delivering the

desired effect, lessen the risk to our forces, and minimize

collateral damage.

Precision engagement will build on current US advantages in

delivery accuracy and low observable technologies. It will use

a wide variety of means, including very accurate aerial deliveries or air drops, discriminate weapon strikes, and precise, allweather stand-off capability. Enhanced jointness will ensure

greater commonality between Service precision engagement
22

capabilities and provide

future joint force commanders with a wider array of

responsive, accurate, and

flexible options.

Full-Dimensional Protection

We must also protect our own forces from the very technologies that we are exploiting. Unless we provide an adequate

measure of protection for our forces, these new operational

concepts will be highly vulnerable to disruption. We will

achieve this required level of protection through the concept

called full dimensional protection. The primary prerequisite

for full-dimensional protection will be control of the

battlespace to ensure our forces can maintain freedom of

action during deployment, maneuver and engagement,

while providing multi-layered defenses for our forces and

facilities at all levels. Full-dimensional protection will enable

the effective employment of our forces while degrading

opportunities for the enemy. It will be essential, in most cases,

for gaining and maintaining the initiative required to execute

decisive operations. The concept will be proactive,

Precision Engagement: Responsive & Accurate From Extended Ranges

Locate Assess Success

Command

& Control

Produce Desired Effect

Reengage

Wider Array of

Flexible & Accurate Options Results
23

incorporating both offensive

and defensive actions that

may extend well into areas of

enemy operations.

Full-dimensional protection

will be built upon information

superiority which will provide

multidimensional awareness

and assessment, as well

as identification of all forces

in the battlespace.

Information warfare will

support this effort by

protecting our information

systems and processes,

while denying an adversary

the similar capabilities.

Upon this information base,

we will employ a full array of

active and passive measures at multiple echelons.

Active measures will include

battlespace control operations to guarantee the air,

sea, space, and information

superiority that is needed to

gain the degree of control

to accomplish the assigned

tasks. Active measures will

also include an integrated,

in-depth theater air and

missile defense that will

exploit Service-unique

capabilities to detect,

identify, locate, track, and

deny enemy attacks on our

joint forces.

Passive measures will

include the inherent

protection provided by

information superiority and

dispersal to increase our

warning of attacks.

Operational dispersion will

further reduce risks to our

forces. New sensors and

information dissemination

systems will be deployed to

detect chemical or biological

attack at great ranges and

provide warning to specific

units that may be affected.

Full-Dimensional Protection: Multi-Layered Protection for Forces and Facilities

Upper Tier

Aerospace

Control

Multidimensional

Protection

Lower Tier

Sea Control

Protection from

Theater to Individual Result
24

Enhanced deception and

camouflage measures,

increased individual and

collective protection, and a

joint restoration capability

against the effects

of WMD are also key elements for achieving full

dimensional protection.

Most importantly, these

active and passive

measures will be

combined to provide a

more seamless joint

architecture for force

protection, which will

leverage the contributions

of individual Services,

systems, and echelons.

The result will be improved

freedom of action for friendly

forces, and better protection

at all echelons against

precision attack, weapons of

mass destruction, and other

conventional or nonconventional systems.

Focused Logistics

Each of the preceding

concepts relies on our ability

to project power with the

most capable forces, at the

decisive time and place. To

optimize all three concepts,

logistics must be responsive,

flexible, and precise.

Focused logistics will be

the fusion of information,

logistics, and

transportation

technologies to provide

rapid crisis response, to

track and shift assets even

while enroute, and to

deliver tailored logistics

packages and sustainment

directly at the strategic,

operational, and tactical

level of operations. It will be

fully adaptive to the needs of

our increasingly dispersed

and mobile forces, providing

support in hours or days

versus weeks. Focused

logistics will enable joint

forces of the future to be

more mobile, versatile, and

projectable from anywhere in

the world.

Logistic functions will

incorporate information

technologies to transition

from the rigid vertical

organizations of the past.

Modular and specifically

tailored combat service

support packages will

evolve in response to wideranging contingency

requirements. Service and

Defense agencies will work

jointly and integrate with the

civilian sector, where

required, to take advantage

of advanced business

practices, commercial

economies, and global

networks. Active and

reserve combat service

support capabilities,

prepared for complete

integration into joint

operations, will provide

logistic support and

sustainment as long

as necessary.

Information technologies will

enhance airlift, sealift, and

pre-positioning capabilities

to lighten deployment loads,

assist pinpoint logistics

delivery systems, and extend the reach and longevity

of systems currently in the
25

inventory. The combined

impact of these improvements will be a smaller,

more capable deployed

force. It will require less

continuous support with a

smaller logistics footprint,

decreasing the vulnerability

of our logistics lines

of communication.

Full Spectrum Dominance

Each of these new operational concepts will reinforce the

others and will allow us to achieve massed effects in warfare

from more dispersed forces. This synergy will greatly

enhance our capabilities in high intensity conventional

military operations.

However, the synergy of these four concepts transcends

intense conventional warfighting. Without overspecialization,

the development of these new operational concepts has great

potential to fulfill more effectively the full range of tasks

assigned to us. That is, taken together these four new

concepts will enable us to dominate the full range of military

operations from humanitarian assistance, through peace

operations, up to and into the highest intensity conflict.

Focused Logistics: Precise Application of Logistics

Total Asset

& Intransit

Visibility

Reduced Inventory, Footprint, & Response Time

Rapid Response

& Distribution

Result More Capable Forces

Information

Fusion

Tailored Logistics

Packages

Require

Report

Repair

Replace
2 6

Full

Spectrum

Dominance

mensional Protection 

cused Logistics

sion Engagement

minant Maneuver

Peacetim

Fight & Win Deterrence & Conflict Prevention

uperiority will

mmander with

areness of his

nsibility, whether

s to close with

n adversary or

ance in a

operation.

econnaissance

ge of the precise

persed friendly

e ability to

ely their efforts

 for all

the application of forceagainst an emerging threatduring peace enforcementoperations. Full-dimensionalprotection will allow freedomof action for our forces andlimit their vulnerability duringcombat and noncombatoperations. Focusedlogistics will ensure deliveryof the precise amount andtypes of supplies requiredfor our joint forces tosucceed in combat ornoncombat operations.

Likewise, the tactical mobilityrequired for dominantmaneuver which enables ourforces rapidly to move intoposition to overwhelm anenemy will also allowcommanders to place forcesin positions of control incounterdrug,counterterrorism, or peacekeeping operations. Precisionengagement capabilitiesdesigned for warfightingtasks will also enablegreater discrimination in
27

Although the positive

implications for enhancing

our capabilities across the

range of military operations

seem obvious, we cannot

assume that all new concepts

will be equally valuable in all

operations. In intensive

combat, target destruction

may be essential in the early

engagements of an

operation, but extensive

physical presence may later

be necessary to accomplish

the assigned mission. This

presence may be required to

fully neutralize enemy forces,

deal with prisoners and

potentially hostile

populations, or otherwise

assure that success in

attacking targets

is followed through to achieve

the overall objectives of the

operation. For noncombat

operations, physical presence

will likely be even more

important. Thus, we must

ensure that capturing the new

technologies does not

overspecialize the force; we

must retain balanced and

sustainable capabilities. We

recognize that, regardless of

how sophisticated technology

becomes, the individual

warfighter’s judgment,

creativity, and adaptability in

the face of highly dynamic

situations will be essential to

the success of future joint

operations. The human

element is especially

important in situations where

we cannot bring our

technological capabilities

fully to bear against

opponents who seek to

nullify our technological

superiority by various

means. In these cases, our

success will depend, as it

has historically, upon the

physical, intellectual, and

moral strengths of the

individual soldier, sailor,

airman, and marine—

especially their adaptability in

the face of the unexpected.

Critical Considerations

To sustain the Armed Forces and instill these new operational

concepts will require high quality people—the key ingredient

for success. The judgment, creativity, and fortitude of our

people will remain the key to success in future joint

operations. Turning concepts into capabilities requires

adapting our leadership, doctrine, education and training,

organizations, and materiel to meet the high tempo, high

technology demands posed by these new concepts.
28

Dedicated, High Quality People

Thus, recruiting and retaining dedicated high quality

people will remain our first priority. Only a force that has

the courage, stamina, and intellectual ability to cope with the

complexity and rapid pace of future joint operations will have

the capability to achieve full spectrum dominance.

We cannot expect risk-free, push-button style operations in

the future. Military operations will continue to demand

extraordinary dedication and sacrifice under the most adverse

conditions. Some military operations will require close combat

on the ground, at sea, or in the air. The courage and heart of

our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines will remain the

foundation of all that our Armed Forces must do.

Innovative Leadership

The dynamic nature of joint operations in the 21st century

battlespace will require a continued emphasis on

developing strong leadership skills. While we must do

everything possible to leverage the power of advanced

technologies, there are inherent limitations. Confronting the

inevitable friction and fog of war against a resourceful and

strong minded adversary, the human dimension including

innovative strategic and operational thinking and strong

leadership will be essential to achieve decisive results. Effective

leadership provides our greatest hedge against uncertainty.

We will build upon the enduring foundation of functional

expertise, core values, and high ethical standards. Our

future leaders at all levels of command must understand the

interrelationships among military power, diplomacy, and

economic pressure, as well as the role of various government

agencies and non-governmental actors, in achieving our

security objectives. They will require a sophisticated

Critical

Considerations

~High Quality People

~Innovative Leadership

~Joint Doctrine

~Joint Education and

Training

~Agile Organizations

~Enhanced Materiel
29

understanding of historical

context and communication

skills to succeed in the

future. The evolution of

command structures,

increased pace and scope of

operations, and the

continuing refinement of

force structure and

organizations will require

leaders with a knowledge of

the capabilities of all four

services. Without sacrificing

their basic service

competencies, these future

leaders must be schooled in

joint operations from the

beginning of their careers.

This leadership development

must begin rigorous

selection processes and

extend beyond formal

education and training.

Hands-on experience in a

variety of progressive

assignments must stress

innovation, dealing with

ambiguity, and a

sophisticated understanding

of the military art. In short,

our leaders must

demonstrate the very

highest levels of skill and

versatility in ever more

complex joint and

multinational operations.

Joint Doctrine

As we change the way we fight, joint doctrine will remain

the foundation that fundamentally shapes the way we

think about and train for joint military operations. Joint

doctrine is a critical ingredient for success because the way

in which leaders think and organize their forces will be as

important as the technology we use to conduct future joint

operations. Future joint doctrine must articulate the process

required for successful joint planning but must be flexible

enough to serve as a broad framework to guide our forces

in joint and multinational operations. It is the key to

enhanced jointness because it transforms technology, new

ideas, and operational concepts into joint capabilities.

We will discover new ways to change the development

process for joint doctrine. Thus, we must integrate “topdown” doctrine throughout the development cycle, while

continuing to ensure that joint doctrine fully incorporates the

strengths that each Service brings to joint warfare.
30

Joint Education and Training

Our education and training programs must prepare joint

warriors to meet the challenges of the future battlespace.

These programs must emphasize employment of new

technologies and achieving the operational concepts outlined

in this vision. It is essential that our Joint Professional Military

Education (JPME) programs provide our warfighters with an

understanding of strategic concepts in the future environment

where military force will be applied, as well as an in-depth

understanding of individual Service systems and how the

integration of these systems enhance joint operations.

The requirement for high quality, realistic, and stressful

training that amplifies education and fully prepares our forces

for joint operations is similarly important. We must emphasize

integration of joint capabilities and develop skills that increase

individual and organizational effectiveness. Our training must

reflect emerging threats and include both information

saturation and total interruption of information flow.

Enhanced modeling and simulation of the battlespace, when

coupled to on the ground evaluation with real soldiers, sailors,

airmen, and marines, can improve the realism of training,

upgrade the levels of day-to-day readiness, and increase our

opportunities to test innovative concepts and new strategies.

Simulations must be interconnected globally—creating a

near-real-time interactive simulation superhighway between

our forces in every theater. Each CINC must be able to tap

into this global network and connect forces worldwide that

would be available for theater operations. This network will

allow selected units in CONUS to train with forces located in

an overseas theater without actually deploying there. Similarly,

we will pursue improvements in our campaign modeling and

analysis to exploit the concepts of this vision.

Joint Doctrine

Joint Doctrine

Serves as Common

Perspective

~Authoritative

Guidance for

Our Forces

~Provide Focus

for Systems

Application &

Technology

Fundamentally

Shapes the Way We

Plan, Think & Train for

Military Operations

~New Operational

Concepts Provide

the Foundation

for Evolution
31

This global simulation network must include our Reserve and

National Guard units, as well as selected multinational

partners, to increase their readiness and interoperability.

Agile Organizations

In order to make optimum use of the technologies and

operational concepts discussed earlier, we must carefully

examine the traditional criteria governing span of control and

organizational layers for the Services, commands, and

Defense agencies. We will need organizations and processes

that are agile enough to exploit emerging technologies and

respond to diverse threats and enemy capabilities. As we

move forward, we may require further reductions in

supervision and centralized direction.

All organizations must become more responsive to

contingencies, with less “startup” time between

deployment and employment. Because we rely on

the total force to provide the

full range of military capabilities, we also require responsive Reserve components

that can rapidly integrate into

joint organizations.

Increased organizational

flexibility will enhance our

responsiveness. We will seek

organizations that can

support flexible force

packaging and work to

smooth the process further.
32

Enhanced Materiel

Since most of the platforms expected to be in service in 2010

are already designed or operational, we will emphasize high

leverage, leading edge technology enhancements to

increase our capabilities. We will also place greater

emphasis on common usage between Services and

increase interoperability among the Services and multinational partners.

We will need a responsive research, development, and

acquisition process to incorporate new technologies. This

process must leverage technology and management

innovations originating in the private sector through

responsive access to commercial developments.

Implementing Joint Vision 2010

We must proceed with implementing Joint Vision 2010 in

a way that captures the promise of these new concepts

while sustaining our readiness and flexibility through

every step of this evolution.

The implementation plan will involve CINCs, Services, and

joint organizations. Each element must participate in

developing and testing these new concepts and their overall

integration. Modeling, demonstrations, simulations,

technology wargames, and joint exercises will help assess

and validate these concepts, as well as assist in developing

new operational procedures and organizations.

The implementation process will integrate ongoing initiatives,

such as the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Joint

Warfighting Capabilities Assessments, and Advanced

Capabilities Technology Demonstrations (ACTD), to promote

the integrated development of operational capabilities.

Concurrently, joint education

and doctrinal development

must keep pace.

As we implement this

vision, affordability of the

technologies envisioned to

achieve full spectrum

dominance will be an

important consideration.

While we anticipate that

some significant

improvements in capability

may be gained economically,

for example through dualuse technologies for C4

I,

others will be more difficult

to achieve within the budget

realities that exist today and

will exist into the next

century. We anticipate the

need to be selective in the

technologies we choose,

and thus expect continuing

assessment and

adjustments for affordability

as well as for other lessons

learned during the

implementation process.

Achieving the full promise of

this vision will largely depend

on how well we structure our

defense program. We will

have to make hard choices

to achieve the tradeoffs that

will bring the best balance,
33

most capability, and greatest

interoperability for the least

cost. Ultimately, we will have

to measure continuously the

affordability of achieving full

spectrum dominance against

our overarching need to

maintain the quality of our

forces, their readiness, and

the force structure needed to

execute our operational

tasks between now and the

year 2010.

As we implement this vision,

we must acknowledge that

strong leadership,

warfighting skill, and

innovative thinking will be

central to developing the

detailed requirements and

decision points. Our

organizational climate must

reward critical thinking,

foster the competition of

ideas, and reduce structural

or cultural barriers to

innovation. Both in peace

and war, the creative talents

of our men and women

provide us a critical

advantage over those who

would consider challenging

us or our allies.

From Concepts to Capabilities

Capabilities

2

0

1

0

Doctrine

Education

Training

Organization

Materiel

Implementation

P

r

o

g

r

a

m

Quality Forces

Operational Concepts
34

Conclusion

Today, America’s Armed Forces are the world standard for

military excellence and joint warfighting. We will further

strengthen our military capabilities by taking advantage of

improved technology and the vitality and innovation of our

people to prepare our forces for the 21st century.

Joint Vision 2010 creates

the template to guide the

transformation of these

concepts into joint

operational capabilities.

It serves as the basis for

focusing the strengths of

each individual Service or

component to exploit the full

array of available capabilities

and allow us to achieve full

spectrum dominance. It will

also guide the evolution of

joint doctrine, education,

and training to assure we will

be able to achieve more

seamless joint operations in

the future.

As we pursue this vision, we

must remain mindful of our

responsibilities: to prevent

threats to our interests from

emerging, deter those that

do, and defeat those threats

by military force if deterrence

fails. In 2010, we will meet

these responsibilities with

high quality people and

leaders, who are trained and

ready for joint operations

and able to exploit high

technology equipment.

Even during a time of

unparalleled technological

advances we will always

rely on the courage,

determination, and

strength of America’s men

and women to ensure we

are persuasive in peace,

decisive in war, and

preeminent in any form

of conflict.

Focusing the

Strengths of Each

Individual Service

on Operational

Concepts That

Achieve Full

Spectrum

Dominance

Joint Vision

2010
1. Introduction

3. Threads of Continuity

8. Dynamic Changes

17. Conduct of Joint

Operations

32. Implementing Joint

Vision

34. Conclusion

CJCS Vision

America’s Military Preparing

for Tomorrow: Quality People

Trained, Equipped and Ready

for Joint Operations

~Persuasive in Peace

~Decisive in War

~Preeminent in Any

Form of Conflict

Contents