Operational Knowledge Management in the Military

IntroductIon This article intends to cover operational-knowledge management (KM) as implemented in the military. In particular, it is based on experience and published examples from the U.S. Army and the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). It concentrates on the characteristics of operational knowledge as the core type of interest for the military due to the nature of the mission. The proxy of human lives and mission success are used vs. the more common currencies in the business industry. The article covers common vehicles in KM through examples implemented in the military (such as communities of practice in the U.S. Navy, storytelling, and scenario planning), with special attention given to a detailed description of the AAR (after-action review). This is a military originated KM process now widely adopted by industry. Although all these are familiar KM methods and concepts in industry, their value and uniqueness for military applicability are illustrated. In the current and future battlefield, knowledge and information are critical resources (both of the enemy and of our forces). Through innovative and dispersed IT systems, KM has transformed the modern battlefield situational awareness, both for the individual soldier and the very core of command and control. A section is devoted to KM in low-intensity conflicts (LICs) that emphasizes learning throughout fighting due to the unique and asymmetric nature of LIC as the contemporary and most common modern form of warfare. In LIC, the learning cycles are short as opposed to those of classic wars where the main learning is done before and after conflicts. In LIC, as a prolonged process (of varying intensities), learning must be conducted throughout the fighting.