This work considers the modern antecedents and evolution of the operational art in military thought and practice in both peace and wartime. This theme is developed over time and across military cultures. A comparative framework allows the treatment of the overall theme by examining the concept of the operational art in the context of different nationalities, different military organizations, and different societies. This study situates the current operational art in its historical context.

Introduction -- The Operational Art : Developments in the Theories of War -- The Operational Art : The Elder Moltke's Campaign Plan for the Franco-Prussian War -- Two Views of Warsaw : The Russian Civil War and Soviet Operational Art, 1920-1932 -- Operational Art and the Canadian Army's Way of War -- Operational Methods of the French Armed Forces, 1945-1970 -- The Intellectual Dimension of Soviet (Russian) Operational Art -- Filling the Void : The Operational Art and the U.S. Army -- "The Revolution in Military Affairs" : Its Implications for Doctrine and Force Development Within the U. S. Army -- Commentary on the Operational Art.