Quote Originally Posted by M.L. View Post
...Operational planners use operational concepts, such as Center of Gravity and Lines of Operation, to plan operational activities.
That could be construed as use of proper jargon delineates august Operational planners from the great unwashed...

It could also lead one to give great credence to this comment by WilF:""Your case is based on a 1980s invention of Corps Operations."" While I realize that is not strictly true it is FACT that all those operational art concepts were in existence and were used prior to the introduction of the operational level concept to the US.
Doing "Campaign Planning" is currently fashionable in U.S. brigades. This is an operational tool that helps conceptualize, frame, and link things like, security, governance, and economics. However, this doesn't mean brigades are doing operational warfare - they are just using the tools.
Or misusing them...

That goes back to my original and I believe rather important issue on this sub-thread: ""My point is the rather more important issue that Military folks are too often slaves to doctrine"" as exemplified by this quote from BG (Ret) John S. Brown: ""They were reinforced by an emphasis upon the operational art in the basic course, and thus the tendency of all recent officer graduates of the service school systems to use concepts and vocabulary that facilitated its use.""

Wilf may have a problem with operational art. I do not, it exists and is useful. I do have a major problem with the misuse of doctrinal concepts and seeming military elitism obscuring reality, muddling good tactical planning and operations and the creation of oversized Staffs that lend little to actual warfighting. For, as you also said:
Structure is an outgrowth of operational responsibilities - operational responsibilities are NOT a consequence of structure.
That is too often forgotten -- by too many...

Over a good many years I've seen too many Army concepts the led to an almost cult like following and belief in the awe and majesty of a particular subset of Soldiery or skill being annointed. That "airborne mystique" foolishness will get you killed; SF and SOF are handy but are far from being the epitome of combat soldiering; Aviation is now a branch but has not really done itself many favors. Similarly, Operational Level Planners and SAMS graduates are not necessarily the solution to all Army problems. Not that anyone has said they are -- but I do see a trend...