Analyzing War:Op Art Mil Cam

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course examines military operations as the critical bridge between strategy and tactics, focusing on how armed forces design, conduct, sustain, adapt, and assess campaigns in pursuit of political and strategic objectives. Whereas SEST 5001 introduces students to the logic of strategy and the enduring problem of using force for political ends, SEST 5500 moves inside the campaign itself: how military organizations generate and employ combat power, integrate capabilities across domains, respond to friction and uncertainty, and evaluate success or failure. Through historical and contemporary cases, students will study operational art, force generation, logistics, learning and adaptation, combat effectiveness, joint and combined operations, and the challenges of military action under political constraint. The course emphasizes structured analysis of military performance, asking why some campaigns achieve their operational aims while others fall short, how material, organizational, technological, and political factors shape outcomes, and how military professionals and policymakers can assess operations rigorously. By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to connect strategic purpose to operational execution and to evaluate the employment of military power in clear, disciplined, and policy-relevant terms.