Effects-based operations

Abstract

A  new  planning  method  has  been  em-ployed   by   Armed   Forces,   particularly those  connected  to  NATO  and  the  US, named Effect Based Planning. The opera-tions which employ such method are cal-led Effect Based Operations. One of the tools which made this new methodology possible is the Network Centered Warfa-re, based on the capabilities provided by the introduction of Information Techno-logy  on  the  battlefield,  by  the  means  of command,  control  and  sensor  network, which allows the battle visibility and con-trol, as never seen before. Out of this ca-pability  comes  the  assumption  that  it  is possible to measure, with relatively high precision, the enemy’s reactions to stimu-li  inflicted,  i.e.  the  effects  that  our  ope-rations  cause  on  his  behavior.  The  same way,  it  is  possible  to  access  the  impacts that  those  operations  cause  on  our  own forces. This article presents the theoreti-cal bases of this methodology, in a way to access the feasibility of its application to the Brazilian Army, in its peculiar opera-tional  environments  and  with  the  actual level of technology available.