This monograph examines the state of the Army's operational terms as seen through its written doctrine. Operational terms play an important role in the command process and a common vocabulary is one of the defining features of a profession. The monograph examines selected operational terms within the battlefield operating system framework to determine if there are common or standard definitions across the Army. The monograph begins with a historical examination of the importance of terminology to the study of military art and science. A survey of theorists and military writers demonstrates the importance of precision to the foundation of military theory. The monograph starts with Field Manual 100-5, Operations, and considers its impact, as the Army's keystone doctrinal manual, on operational terms and their meanings. The intelligence, fire support, mobility/survivability, and maneuver battlefield operating systems provide the doctrinal data for the remainder of the study. Each term is considered within its functional area and then in relation to the other functional areas. Field Manual 101-5-1, Operational Terms and Symbols, is used as the Army wide standard. The monograph concludes with an example from Operation Desert Storm and determines that the Army's operational terms are not aligned in meaning across the battlefield operating systems. Additionally, three problems are identified in the use of operational terms and several possible solutions are suggested to help provide the Army with a more precise professional vocabulary.

ADA 288943 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)