JP 3-0, page 13

Executive Summary xi Major Operations and Campaigns. These are extended-duration, large-scale operations that usually involve combat. Strategic Guidance A combatant commander is the vital link between those who determine national security policy and strategy and the military forces or subordinate joint force commanders (JFCs) who conduct military operations. National strategic direction provides strategic context for the employment of the instruments of national power and defines the strategic purpose that guides employment of the military instrument of national power as part of a global strategy. Based on guidance from the President and Secretary of Defense, geographic and functional combatant commanders (CCDRs) develop strategies that translate national and multinational strategic direction into strategic concepts or courses of action to meet joint operation planning requirements. Unified Action Unified action is a comprehensive approach that synchronizes, coordinates, and when appropriate, integrates military operations with the activities of other governmental and nongovernmental organizations to achieve unity of effort. Whereas the term joint operations focuses on the integrated actions of the Armed Forces of the United States in a unified effort, the term unified action has a broader connotation. JFCs are challenged to achieve and maintain operational coherence given the requirement to operate in conjunction with interorganizational partners. CCDRs play a pivotal role in unifying joint force actions, since all of the elements and actions that comprise unified action normally are present at the CCDR’s level. However, subordinate JFCs also integrate and synchronize their operations directly with the operations of other military forces and the activities of nonmilitary organizations in the operational area to promote unified action. Levels of War There are no finite limits or boundaries between these levels, but they help commanders visualize a logical arrangement of operations, allocate resources, and Three levels of war—strategic, operational, and tactical—model the relationship between national objectives and tactical actions. Strategic Level. In the context of military operations, strategy develops an idea or set of ideas for employing the instruments of national power in a synchronized and integrated fashion to achieve theater, national, and/or multinational objectives. Operational Level. The operational level links the tactical employment of forces to national and military strategic objectives.