JP 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States - Defense ...

Theory and Foundations
6. Campaigns and Operations
a. Tactics, techniques, and procedures are the fundamental building blocks of concrete
military activity. Broadly, actions generate effects; they change in the environment or
situation. Tactical actions are the component pieces of operations.
b. An operation is a sequence of tactical actions with a common purpose or unifying
theme. An operation may entail the process of carrying on combat, including movement,
supply, attack, defense, and maneuvers needed to achieve the objective of any battle or
campaign. However, an operation need not involve combat. A major operation is a series of
tactical actions, such as battles, engagements, and strikes, conducted by combat forces
coordinated in time and place, to achieve strategic or operational objectives in an operational
area.
c. A campaign is a series of related major operations aimed at achieving strategic and
operational objectives within a given time and space. Planning for a campaign is appropriate
when contemplated military operations exceed the scope of a single major operation. Thus,
campaigns are often the most extensive joint operations in terms of time and other resources.
Some operations can be executed in a single operation and not require campaigning. A
noncombatant evacuation, for example, may be executed in a single operation.
7. Task, Function, and Mission
It is worthwhile to discuss three key terms, task, function, and mission, which are
relevant to the conduct of warfare at all levels.
a. A task is a clearly defined action or activity assigned to an individual or organization.
It is a specific assignment that must be done as it is imposed by an appropriate authority.
Function and mission implicitly involve things to be done, or tasks. It is, however, important
to delineate between an organization’s function and its mission.
b. A function is the broad, general, and enduring role for which an organization is
designed, equipped, and trained. Organizationally, functions may be expressed as a task, a
series of tasks, or in more general terms. Broadly, a function is the purpose for which an
organization is formed. In the context of employing a joint force, joint functions are six
basic groups of related capabilities and activities—C2, intelligence, fires, movement and
maneuver, protection, and sustainment—that help JFCs integrate, synchronize, and direct
joint operations.
c. Mission entails the task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the action to
be taken and the reason therefore. A mission always consists of five parts: the who
(organization to act), what (the task to be accomplished and actions to be taken), when (time
to accomplish the task), where (the location to accomplish the task), and why (the purpose
the task is to support). Higher headquarters commanders typically assign a mission or tasks
to their subordinate commanders, who convert these to a specific mission statement through
mission analysis. A mission is what an organization is directed to do. Functions are the
purposes for which an organization is formed. The two are symbiotic. Tasks are relevant to
both functions and missions.
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