text: _________________________________________________________________________________Chapter 1
  • Regional operationsstrategic-level course of action (including con-
  ventional, force-on-force military operations) against opponents the
  State overmatches, including regional adversaries and internal threats.
  (See the Regional Operations section of this chapter for more detail.)
  • Transition operationsstrategic-level course of action that bridges
  the gap between regional and adaptive operations and contains some
  elements of both, continuing to pursue the State’s regional goals while
  dealing with the development of outside intervention with the potential
  for overmatching the State. (See the Transition Operations section of
  this chapter for more detail.)
  • Adaptive operationsstrategic-level course of action to preserve the
  State’s power and apply it in adaptive ways against opponents that
  overmatch the State. (See the Adaptive Operations section of this chap-
  ter for more detail.)
  Although the State refers to them as “operations,” each of these courses of
  action is actually a subcategory of strategy. Each of these types of “opera-
  tions” is actually the aggregation of the effects of tactical, operational, and
  strategic actions, in conjunction with the other three instruments of national
  power, that contribute to the accomplishment of strategic goals. The type(s) of
  operations the State employs at a given time will depend on the types of
  threats and opportunities present and other conditions in the operational en-
  vironment. Figure 1-2 illustrates the State’s basic conceptual framework for
  how it could apply its various instruments of national power in the imple-
  mentation of its national security strategy.
  Peace War
  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
  Against Enemy Strategic Centers of Gravity
  REGIONAL
  OPERATIONS
  TRANSITION
  OPERATIONS
  ADAPTIVE
  OPERATIONS
  Against Opponents Against Opponents
  the State that Overmatch
  Overmatches the State
  Figure 1-2. Conceptual Framework for Implementing the State’s National Security Strategy
  1-7. Strategic operations are a continuous process not limited to wartime or
  preparation for war. Once war begins, they continue during regional, transition,