# Three Block War = No More



## Garett (13 Apr 2005)

By order of someone in Ottawa, we can't call it Three Block War anymore.  It is now Full Spectrum Operations.


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## perry (13 Apr 2005)

Why is that? Is the word "War" too aggressive for the huggy kissy Canadian public now or what. What a load of crap thing are getting a little too PC in this country. Changing the simplest things because wording seems aggressive or it may offend somebody I think we should start calling it what it is.

PS As you can tell stuff like this really burns me up.


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## Haggis (13 Apr 2005)

Garett Hallman said:
			
		

> By order of someone in Ottawa, we can't call it Three Block War anymore.   It is now Full Spectrum Operations.



Interesting....

The Army just distributed a whole hockey sock full of posters on Army Transformation featuring the phrase "Three Block War" quite prominently.

Since we're now gonna need more posters, I wonder what ad agency had a hand in re-naming this?  (oops... outside voice again...)


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## perry (13 Apr 2005)

Haggis said:
			
		

> Interesting....
> 
> The Army just distributed a whole hockey sock full of posters on Army Transformation featuring the phrase "Three Block War" quite prominently.
> 
> Since we're now gonna need more posters, I wonder what ad agency had a hand in re-naming this?   (oops... outside voice again...)



Who knows what agency they will use I just hope they watch the money a little more closely this time ( but we all know that won't happen) and somebody will get their pockets lined once again.


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## Brad Sallows (13 Apr 2005)

Is there a fact underlying this interesting rumour?


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## Sub_Guy (13 Apr 2005)

How much money do we waste on crap like this?  Ethics, Sharp training, our government is driving this military into the ground.  We are a military, our job involves protecting our national interests at all costs.... That includes killing people, you can't "Care Bear" that up.  I want my fellow army brothers to ready to go when there is a knock on the door.   There isn't time for "Care Bearing" in the heat of battle.   


Trying to make the military look soft is garbage IMO.   I want Canadians to be proud when they see men in uniform, not make snarky comments.

We seem to be respected more abroad than in our own backyard....................Those recruiting ads don't help either............

I posted a sunshine girl on the shredder in CCR on the regina, you know how long that lasted..... 2 hours.......... it was on the shredder!!! (a model in a canadian navy uniform, I added the quote shred it for your country then printed it off)


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## Royal76 (13 Apr 2005)

Brad Sallows said:
			
		

> Is there a fact underlying this interesting rumour?



I am interested in exactly where (ie. from who) this "order" came down from as well.  I just did 18 weeks of staff college and the term was used quite liberally, even by Comd LFDTS- who is in charge of army training.  Furthermore the Army has just published a poster with "the three block war" on it.  This leads me to believe that this is nothing more than rumour or someone mistaking the terminology.

There is a difference between the terms "three block war" and "full spectrum operations."  Full spectrum operations incorporates things like NEO, SASO (security and stabilization operations), SOF Ops, joint warfare, etc whereas three block war really doesn't.  Perhaps this is just a case of someone getting terminology mixed up.  If the army is going to incorporate full spectrum ops into individual training (Phase training, PLQ's and battle schools), great- that's what we need in addition to "block 1" type warfighting skills.


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## Michael OLeary (13 Apr 2005)

Perry said:
			
		

> Why is that? Is the word "War" too aggressive for the huggy kissy Canadian public now or what. What a load of crap thing are getting a little too PC in this country. Changing the simplest things because wording seems aggressive or it may offend somebody I think we should start calling it what it is.




It has nothing to do with PC connotations of the words.

The rationale is that "three block war" is an over-simplification of the range of operations and tasks a formation or unit may find themselves participating in and or supporting. Three Block War makes people consider tasks in three discrete functional areas and then try to develop a limited number of ways they can be done, anticipating that one "block" will end and then the next begin. Use of full spectrum of operations acknowledges that the world and the situations we are sensing soldiers, sailors, and airmen into is much more complex and very fluid in nature, with strategic, operational and tactical situations likely to rapidly shift along that spectrum as the situation changes.

(Royal76, CLFCSC will be amending all of those documents you saw as the DS work their way through the curriculum doing updates.)


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## Haggis (13 Apr 2005)

Sub_Guy said:
			
		

> I posted a sunshine girl on the shredder in CCR on the regina, you know how long that lasted..... 2 hours.......... it was on the shredder!!! (a model in a canadian navy uniform, I added the quote shred it for your country then printed it off)



I just posted a nicely perforated Fig 12 (5 rounds under a Toonie) on my office wall in Ottawa.  The other service members thought it added "character" to my cell.. err.. cubicle.  My civvie boss, his boss and my Director all saw it today and not a word was said.  I also hang a minefield marker across my cell door (oops, there I go again) when I'm really busy to jokingly show people that I don't want to be disturbed.  Nobody cares.


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## Garett (13 Apr 2005)

> I am interested in exactly where (ie. from who) this "order" came down from as well.  I just did 18 weeks of staff college and the term was used quite liberally, even by Comd LFDTS- who is in charge of army training.




I'd tell you, then I'd have to kill you.........at Playstation.

I got an e-mail on my DIN account that shot like a lighting bolt from the heaven that is Ottawa, or maybe it was Kingston.  I'd post it but I'm at home, I'm sure you'll get the word very soon.



> Furthermore the Army has just published a poster with "the three block war" on it.



I just finished decorating my office in building Militia-5 with the new posters, I put the "Three Block War" one on the back of my door which is open 90% of the time.  It's the ugliest one anyway.


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## Royal76 (13 Apr 2005)

Michael O'Leary said:
			
		

> It has nothing to do with PC connotations of the words.



Agreed.  I get very sick of the terminology game.  Heard alot of bitching about "advance to contact" vs "manouever to strike."  Terminology changes as concepts evolve.  



			
				Michael O'Leary said:
			
		

> (Royal76, CLFCSC will be amending all of those documents you saw as the DS work their way through the curriculum doing updates.)



Hmmm...... sounds like a good task for you to take on before you get posted!


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## TCBF (13 Apr 2005)

" posted a sunshine girl on the shredder..."

I have a Dillon Precision calender (Ladies   with Guns) on the wall at work.   Check it out online.   VERY classy ladies. Could be right out of the well dressed section of a Sears Catalogue.

 "just posted a nicely perforated Fig 12 (5 rounds under a Toonie) on my office wall in Ottawa.   The other service members thought it added "character" to my cell.. err.. cubicle.   My civvie boss, his boss and my Director all saw it today and not a word was said.   I also hang a minefield marker across "

There is a VERY graphic SFOR mines poster meant for the "host nationals" that might make them cringe.   Of course, that would be a bit of a shock.   You would want to start a "Mine awareness poster of the week in this spot" program on your wall, then one Monday, seven weeks later, there it is.   "What? Hell no, I wasn't trying to make poor Courtney (the weak ones who hate men and all the things men do are invariably named Courtney) spew, this was just number seven in the series, hang fire for a sec, and I'll replace it with number eight, right here."

Ya gotta know how to plan these things.

 ;D

Tom


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## pbi (13 Apr 2005)

I don't think "Three Block War" was ever an official Canadian doctrine term: it was developed by Gen Krulak,  a past Commandant of the USMC to describe the type of ops the Corps could expect to be involved in post-Cold War. We use it semi-officially, and I do think it is a great term that captures the essence of modern operations, but the term "Full Spectrum Operations" is more accurate if less cool.

And I like those posters!


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## Haggis (13 Apr 2005)

TCBF said:
			
		

> "There is a VERY graphic SFOR mines poster meant for the "host nationals" that might make them cringe......
> Ya gotta know how to plan these things.
> 
> ;D
> ...



Little steps, Tom.   
I don't have any of the SFOR ones but I brought home a similarly graphic MAT poster from the Republic of Georgia.... along with some photos of 3 legged dogs.

PBI:

"Three Block War" is the perfect sound bite term.  Canadian military leaders (with some notable exceptions) have not mastered the art of the sound bite.


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## COBRA-6 (13 Apr 2005)

Full Spectrum Operations?? Would that make us Full Spectrum Warriors?? Yay!! The Army is just like a video game now... I wonder how long before they change it to something new...

http://www.fullspectrumwarrior.com/


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## TCBF (13 Apr 2005)

If it's come off the printer, it's allready obsolete.

 ;D

Tom


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## Marshall (13 Apr 2005)

I haven't heard of this official change, but it makes sense to me.   After the CDS' "big hand small map" plan for the changes in the CF, quite a few of us were left perplexed.   He made it adadamantlylear that he did not see us moving towards a Marine Corps style.   He wanted a Canadian design, (no problem here at all!). Yet, the next part of the presentation talked about why we had to change towards the 3 Block War concept. This being an American coined phrase, it seemed odd that we would adopt this as a reason.   The concept is not wrong, by any stretch, but if we want to chart a Canadian approach, lets use Canadian reasons!   Although it really is a case of semansemanticsarmchair strategists, it clarifies what leaders in the CF must adopt as our vision for the future.


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## Infanteer (14 Apr 2005)

Well, just to let you all know "3 Block War" is still an acceptable term on Army.ca.... :-*


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## Scoobie Newbie (14 Apr 2005)

Am I going about this the wrong way but why not look at all the lessons learned from all the armies in current conflicts and adjust and develop some cohesive plans around that instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.


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## McG (14 Apr 2005)

CFL said:
			
		

> why not look at all the lessons learned from *all the armies* in current conflicts and adjust and develop some cohesive plans around that instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.


I don't think we will reinvent the wheel.  However, you've hit the crux of it in your own observation.  We need to look at the lessons learned from all armies involved in such conflicts and pull away the best lessons and those lessons most appropriate to us.  In the end, we will draw lessons from the US, UK, Australia, Poland, Romania, Germany, etc.  However, because we are drawing the from all these sources, we will not end up with the US Marine Corps solution.  We will end-up with a Canadian solution.  This may include Canadian terminology, or borrowed terminology from any of the nations we've looked to for lessons.


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## Sheerin (14 Apr 2005)

Please forgive my civilian induced ignorance, but what exactly is a three block war?


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## Cloud Cover (14 Apr 2005)

One version is intensive fighting, peacekeeping and humanitarian aide all within three blocks of each other, all conducted simultaneously of each other and by the same blue forces. At least, that's what is was 4 or 5 years ago, last time I looked at it.


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## ImanIdiot (14 Apr 2005)

This is ridiculous....I just bought an awesome '3 Block War' Tshirt on Cougar Salvo to impress all the ladies....now they are going to laugh at my antiquated military terminology.

Anybody know where I can get a Full Spectrum Operations shirt? I need to stay current.


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## The Bat (14 Apr 2005)

Sheerin, here is what 3 block war mean and is all about,
The Three-Block War'
This growing realization has generated a storm of debate, endless conferences and a mountain of papers. Most can be found on the Web under the search string "Urban Warfare" (incidentally, the game you'll find is great fun but the rock band is awful). Amidst all of the rhetoric, it seems clear that the Marines have grasped the nettle and are developing what might loosely be called doctrine. The former commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Charles Krulak, described the future of urban operations as "the three-block war," where "we can expect to be providing humanitarian assistance in one part of the city, conducting peacekeeping operations in another and be fighting a lethal mid-intensity battle in yet a third part of the city."3 The Army is rapidly catching up in the doctrinal stakes, and some of the best debate has been lead by the recently retired commandant of the Army War College, Maj. Gen. Robert Scales.4 

I would really like to now who starts these tall tales, I work at CMTC and this is the cutting edge here and we do what the CDS tells us to do! We are not directed as of yet to change our training to reflect any of that, we are still geared around the 3 block war and if it has changed they might want to tell use that it is implemented, cause we here are pouring lots of cash into the 3 block war concept, and we don't want to spend unwanted dollars!!!

UBIQUE


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## Garett (14 Apr 2005)

You guys are killing me.................

I'll post the e-mail I got when I'm at work tomorrow.


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## perry (14 Apr 2005)

I am just wondering when the CF changes the name of something does the person who made the suggestion or a yes man or women who did the power point presentation get promoted? Or do they just get a pat on the back? Because it seems everything in the past 4-5 years has had a name change.


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## Acorn (14 Apr 2005)

Can we get more wrapped up in what we call it?

Yeesh! You'd think "Three Block War" was some sort of Regimental Tradition(tm).

Acorn


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## Garett (15 Apr 2005)

Subject:	THREE BLOCK WAR / FULL SPECTRUM OPERATIONS

Reference:  Record of Decision - Army Council 22/23 Feb 05

This email is sent on behalf of the COS DGLCD.

Para 21 and 33c(6) of the reference provide direction that "all training must deal with all three aspects of the '3-Block War' (full spectrum operations).  This includes individual training from basic through to the CLFCSC graduate" with Comd LFDTS to have the lead.  In preparation, the following is important to note.
  
As you know, the term "3-block war" was coined by the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps (1995-1999), Gen Charles C. Krulak, to describe the operating environment within which forces operate today.  It is not a new construct, but descriptive of a force that simultaneously, vice sequentially, conducts missions across the full spectrum of conflict - disaster relief, humanitarian aid, peace support and war fighting, etc.  To this end, the USMC lists a set of missions across the spectrum of conflict where "3-block war" refers to "contingencies arising across the conflict spectrum."  In this regard, the "blocks" are not treated or trained for as distinct entities; that is, they are not individually elaborated as "Block One," " Block Two" or "Block 3" missions/tasks, but viewed holistically.

From a Canadian Army doctrinal and graphical perspective, the separate block titles - 'One, Two and Three' - will not be referred to.  Concurrence was expressed by CDS Action Team 3 (CAT 3), which is tasked to recommend operational capabilities in support of the CDS vision.

Lastly, the approved definition for "full-spectrum operations" is "the simultaneous conduct of operations by a force across the spectrum of conflict."  The definition notes that the term is synonymous with "three block war" as defined by Gen Krulak.  The term will be entered forthwith into the Defence Terminology Bank (DTB) of the Defence Terminology Programme sponsored by ADM(IM).

MB Boswell
Lieutenant-Colonel
Staff Officer Capability Development
Director General Land Capability Development


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## vonGarvin (15 Apr 2005)

FINALLY they rid themselves of the "Three block war".  Now I'll have to go back and edit some of my posts.  Anyway, as an interesting note, I was recently in Ft Knox on a gunnery visit and NOT ONE US Soldier (Officer or NCO) had even heard of the term "3 block war".  FSO?  Certainly!
Anyway, enough of that.  Let us smoke
:evil:


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## Steel Badger (15 Apr 2005)

vonGarvin said:
			
		

> Anyway, enough of that.   Let us smoke
> :evil:



Garvin, thou hast caused coffee to be involuntarily ejected throught my nostrils...


Perhaps we should offer the CF a series of alternates to the 3 Block war that they can shift to as required by the CF Directorate of "Promotion through Designation Change":

1.FIghting in the streets and also Helping Folks   ( FISHF)

2.Frontals, and CIMIC and Check Points, OH MY!  (FCCOM)

3.Public Affairs Street Commandos                    (PASC)

4.Across the AO with Band-aid and Gun             (AAOWBAG)


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## IPC10 (15 Apr 2005)

It's curious that in a rush to adopt US terminology that we frequently mis-quote it or change it.

In most presentations I have heard on the 3 Block War everyone in the CF (including a post above) refers to block 1 as being war-fighting.  This is in fact not what Gen Krulak wrote.

â Å“On the first block of the three-block war, we will deliver humanitarian aid or assist others in doing that. On the second, we will conduct stabilization or peace support operations. *On the third, we will be engaged in a high-intensity fight.* We must be ready to conduct these operations simultaneously and very close to one another. We must be prepared to conduct them in large urban centres and complex terrain.â ?

I read this as not being limited to only urban settings.

But we decided that 3 Block War is not a good term for the CF. In our quest for original thought we decided on â Å“Full Spectrum Operations.â ?  As vonGarvin notes some US Army personal were not familiar with the term 3 Block War.  They are probably familiar with the term â Å“Full Spectrum operationsâ ? as FM 3 â â€œ 0 Operations published in June of 2001 defines full spectrum operations as the "range of operations Army Forces conduct in war and military operations other than war."  It goes on to cover that full spectrum ops include offensive, defensive, stability, and support operations.  Missions in any environment require Army forces prepared to conduct any combination of these operations. 

We kill me.


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## Old Sweat (15 Apr 2005)

Today's Ottawa Citizen reports on a speech by the CDS yesterday in which he referred to Three Block War.


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## Infanteer (15 Apr 2005)

Nothing to fret over, the use of "Full Spectrum Operations" is just a "doctrinal scrubbing", ensuring that the proper terminology is taught in our doctrine (where terminology is king).  You'll see 3-Block war in our lexicon for a long time, just not in the dictionary of doctrine.


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## Acorn (15 Apr 2005)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Today's Ottawa Citizen reports on a speech by the CDS yesterday in which he referred to Three Block War.


Text I saw (National Post) called it the "Three Bloc War." Draw your own conclusions.

Acorn


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## The Bat (19 Apr 2005)

There goes the CDS talking about the 3 Block War concept as you all know the the email you received from him today 



 :rocket:


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## TCBF (19 Apr 2005)

"Consequently, the Canadian Forces will seek to maintain the right mix of military capability to ensure that they can carry out all potential aspects of a three-block war. They will remain, above all, combat-capable in order to deter aggression, defend themselves and civilian populations against conventional and asymmetric attacks, and fight and defeat opposing forces with the ultimate goal of restoring peace and stability. The Canadian Forces have shown themselves to excel in this area, which is one of the reasons why they are in such high demand overseas. They will improve even further."  - 2005 Defence Policy Statement


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## TCBF (19 Apr 2005)

"The Canadian Forces and International Operations 

The Canadian Forces must remain capable of participating in a wide range of operations overseas, particularly when dealing with the complex, fluid and dangerous environment of failed and failing states. These will include: 

combat operations, such as those conducted during the Kosovo air campaign and with the United States in Afghanistan; 
complex peace support and stabilization missions, such as those carried out with NATO in Bosnia and with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; 
maritime interdiction operations, such as those conducted in the Persian Gulf after the first Gulf War, and as part of the campaign against terrorism; 
traditional peacekeeping and observer operations, such as those carried out by the UN in the Middle East for many years, and, more recently in Ethiopia/Eritrea; 
humanitarian assistance missions, such as those conducted by the Disaster Assistance Response Team in Honduras, Turkey and, more recently, Sri Lanka; and 
evacuation operations to assist Canadians in countries threatened by imminent conflict and turmoil, as we have done in Haiti. 
In the new security environment, the Canadian Forces could find themselves in situations where they are conducting several of these operations simultaneously in one theatre."  DPS 2005


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## pbi (21 Apr 2005)

> As vonGarvin notes some US Army personal were not familiar with the term 3 Block War.



I found this in Afghanistan amongst some of the US Army leaders (ARNG and Active Army) at coy lvl and below. I mentioned the term and they did not know what I was talking about, nor had they heard the term "strategic corporal". However, although they didn't know these exact terms, once explained, they fully understood the reality that these terms represent, albeit by other names.

Cheers.


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## enfield (22 Apr 2005)

I've always thought Gen. Krulak should have copyrighted the term 'Three Block War'. The royalties could have added nicely to his pension..  :warstory:


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## Jed (22 Apr 2005)

Spectrum ?? That sounds like a light spectrum making a rainbow. Hey maybe we are all going tobe "Rainbow Warriors"


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## vonGarvin (25 Apr 2005)

Jed said:
			
		

> Spectrum ?? That sounds like a light spectrum making a rainbow. Hey maybe we are all going tobe "Rainbow Warriors"



Oooh!  Oooh!  I want to be Rainbox 6!  Can I?  Puh-lease? ;D


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## Goober (27 Apr 2005)

Garett Hallman said:
			
		

> I'd tell you, then I'd have to kill you.........at Playstation.
> 
> I got an e-mail on my DIN account that shot like a lighting bolt from the heaven that is Ottawa, or maybe it was Kingston.   I'd post it but I'm at home, I'm sure you'll get the word very soon.
> 
> I just finished decorating my office in building Militia-5 with the new posters, I put the "Three Block War" one on the back of my door which is open 90% of the time.   It's the ugliest one anyway.



Some of the posters around are pretty cool, none on my floor tho, 3rd floor.


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## Qtrfoil (2 May 2005)

Greetings from Quantico, Virginia, USA:  the "Crossroads of the Corps".  It's not surprising that US Army soldiers, Regular or Reserve, are  unfamiliar with the phrases "Three Block War" and "Strategic Corporal". They are US Marine Corps, not Army, terms, and we're not in charge...yet!  Having said that, I would expect that our more experienced soldiers ( as opposed to always-capitalized "Marines") would instantly understand the ideas behind the phrases.
     I do think that both phrases should be understood as superb "bumper stickers".  They communicate  broad ideas exceptionally well, but aren't intended to provide rigorous detail.  I agree that the idea of simultaneity gets a little lost, even though Gen Krulak described the concept in terms of "one moment" to the next, not as distinct operations or even phases of an op.  These days, we're definitely thinking about all three blocks requiring simultaneous consideration as we try and develop future capabilities.
     Anyway, no cultural imperialism here.  I came across this thread as I was reading the Australian Army's draft Future Land Operational Concept on "Complex Warfighting", and one of the hottest emails here around Quantico at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command is the speech given this winter by  JOHN RALSTON SAUL to the faculty and cadets at RMC, available here for those who haven't read it:  http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=4295  .  We'll take good ideas anywhere we can find 'em, and you're welcome to the "Three Block War" if you think it's useful.
Semper Fidelis
Rich Webster


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## Garett (4 May 2005)

http://www.canada.com/national/features/tugofwar/story.html?id=112f3648-8bf9-45a9-814f-29e06562fc96

Theres the link about the patrol that John Ralston Saul went on.


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