Applying Operational Art to the Joint Operational Access Concept (JOAC)

Anti-access and area denial strategies threaten the capability of the United States to maintain its global influence with its expeditionary force. In response to this threat, the U.S. Department of Defense published the Joint Operational Access Concept (JOAC), stressing that the U.S. must maintain operational access to maintain global influence. This study analyzed the JOAC through the lens of operational art, proposing that the proper use of operational art, focusing on the principles of distributed operations, simultaneity, and operational tempo, is critical to maintaining operational access in areas contested by anti-access and area denial strategies. This study concluded that operational planners must now translate the concepts outlined in the JOAC into operational plans that meet these emerging threats, prioritizing and presenting likely scenarios and basing options to policymakers. This study found that a survivable distributed basing network facilitates attacks at multiple decisive points with simultaneity and an operational tempo capable of defeating anti-access systems. Joint Forces can then reestablish operational access, thereby maintaining U.S. global influence