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

Executive Summary
role for which an organization is designed, equipped, and
trained. Mission entails the task, together with the
purpose, that clearly indicates the action to be taken and
the reason therefore.
Strategic Security
Environment and National
Security Challenges
Instruments of National Power
and the Range of Military
Operations
Joint Operations
Joint Functions
The strategic security environment is characterized by
uncertainty, complexity, rapid change, and persistent
conflict. This environment is fluid, with continually
changing alliances, partnerships, and new national and
transnational threats constantly appearing and
disappearing. The strategic security environment
presents broad national security challenges likely to
require the employment of joint forces in the future. The
US military will undertake the following activities to deal
with these challenges: secure the homeland, win the
Nation’s wars, deter our adversaries, security
cooperation, support to civil authorities, and adapt to
changing environment.
The ability of the US to advance its national interests is
dependent on the effectiveness of the United States
Government (USG) in employing the instruments of
national power to achieve national strategic objectives.
The military instrument of national power can be used in
a wide variety of ways that vary in purpose, scale, risk,
and combat intensity. These various ways can be
understood to occur across a continuum of conflict
ranging from peace to war. Mindful that the operational
level of warfare connects the tactical to the strategic, and
operations and campaigns are themselves scalable, the
US uses the construct of the range of military operations
to provide insight into the various broad usages of
military power from a strategic perspective.
Although individual Services may plan and conduct
operations to accomplish tasks and missions in support of
Department of Defense (DOD) objectives, the primary
way DOD employs two or more Services (from two
Military Departments) in a single operation, particularly
in combat, is through joint operations. Joint operations is
the general term to describe military actions conducted
by joint forces and those Service forces in specified
command relationships with each other.
There are significant challenges to effectively integrating
and synchronizing Service and combat support agency
(CSA) capabilities in joint operations. Functionally
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