Understand Warfare as a System

Systems warfare conceptualizes adversaries’ warfighting capabilities as interconnected systems, enabling them to target specific components effectively. This perspective emphasizes the notion that both the adversary and the US view their military capabilities through a systems lens. While US Army Doctrine embraces systems thinking across multiple dimensions, it refrains from labeling its approach as systems warfare. This avoidance stems from concerns that such terminology may lead to a rigid methodology in combat, limiting the battlefield dynamic to mere targeting processes and overlooking vital human and intangible elements of warfare. The reluctance to adopt the term may also be influenced by historical debates around effects-based operations, suggesting a preference for a more holistic view of military engagement that appreciates complexity beyond just interconnected systems.