Updated January 2, 2024
Defense Primer: Army Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)
As an operational concept, Multi-Domain Operations
forces. By creating instability within countries and
(MDO) influence what types of weapon systems and
alliances, China and Russia create political
equipment the Army procures, what types and numbers of
separation that results in strategic ambiguity
soldiers are needed, the organizational structure of the
reducing the speed of friendly recognition, decision,
Army, and what type of training is required—all significant
and reaction. Through these competitive actions,
congressional oversight concerns.
China and Russia believe they can achieve
What Are Multi-Domain Operations
objectives below the threshold of armed conflict.
(MDO)?
How the Army Intends to Compete
According to the Army’s Field Manual (FM) Operations
Arguably, competition is a critical aspect of MDO because
dated October 1, 2022
if conducted successfully, conflict might be avoided.
Multi-Domain Operations are the combined arms
According to U.S. Army Chief of Staff Paper #2, The Army
employment of joint and Army capabilities to create
in Military Competition, dated March 1, 2021, the Army
and exploit relative advantages that achieve
competes in three ways:
objectives, defeat enemy forces, and consolidate
Narrative competition is reflected in the rise and fall of a
gains on behalf of joint force commanders.
country’s reputation based on general perceptions of its
Employing Army and joint capabilities makes use
strength, reliability, and resolve. The Army contributes by
of all available combat power from each domain to
being a lethal, competent, credible force and being
accomplish missions at least cost.
recognized as such by allies, partners, and adversaries.
Multi-Domain
Operations
are the Army’s
Direct competition encompasses the full range of
contribution to joint campaigns, spanning the
competitive activities, from the lowest intensity competition
competition continuum. Below the threshold of
below armed conflict through general state conflict. In
armed conflict, multi-domain operations are how
direct competition, the objective is to create leverage for the
Army forces accrue advantages and demonstrate
United States and to deny leverage to adversaries.
readiness for conflict, deterring adversaries while
Indirect competition’s objective is to gain advantage (or
assuring allies and partners. During conflict, they
deny it to the adversary). This objective is in contrast to the
are how Army forces close with and destroy the
more forceful concept of leverage in direct competition.
enemy, defeat enemy formations, seize critical
The Army contributes by offering a range of credible
terrain, and control populations and resources to
options for policymakers.
deliver sustainable political outcomes.
Some of these options include overseas exercises, security
Why Did the Army Adopt MDO?
cooperation, security force assistance, military-to-military
MDO is described in a December 2018 Army publication,
exchanges, overseas basing, intelligence sharing, and
The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028. The
disaster relief. In this regard, indirect competition is not a
Army developed MDO in response to the 2018 National
“new” operational concept but instead a “re-designation” of
Defense Strategy which shifted the previous focus of U.S.
traditional activities short of armed conflict. Army
national security from countering violent extremists
leadership believes if the Army and the other Services
worldwide to confronting revisionist powers—primarily
prevail in these “competitions,” U.S. national security
Russia and China—that are said to “want to shape a world
objectives should be achieved.
consistent with their authoritarian model—gaining veto
How MDO Is Intended to Work
authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and
security decisions.”
The Army’s central idea is to prevail by competing
According to The U.S. Army in Multi-
successfully in all domains short of conflict, thereby
Domain Operations 2028
deterring a potential enemy. If deterrence fails, Army and
China and Russia exploit the conditions of the
Joint forces are to
operational environment to achieve their objectives
• Penetrate enemy anti-access and area denial (A2/AD)
without resorting to armed conflict by fracturing the
systems (layered and integrated long-range precision-
U.S.’s alliances, partnerships, and resolve. They
strike systems, littoral anti-ship capabilities, air
attempt to create stand-off through the integration
defenses, and long-range artillery and rocket systems) to
of
diplomatic
and
economic
actions,
enable strategic and operational maneuver of U.S.
unconventional and information warfare (social
forces.
media, false narratives, cyber-attacks), and the
actual or threatened employment of conventional
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Defense Primer: Army Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)
• Dis-integrate—disrupt, degrade, or destroy A2/AD
theater headquarters, four corps, six divisions
systems to enable operational and tactical maneuver of
(including one Army National Guard [ARNG]), and
U.S. forces.
25 BCTs (including five in the ARNG). The
balance of the Army’s combat forces—five Regular
• Exploit the resulting freedom of maneuver to achieve
Army and seven ARNG Divisions—are to be
operational and strategic objectives by defeating enemy
modernized after 2030, depending on the progress
forces in all domains.
of the Army’s focused modernization effort and
•
fiscal considerations.
Re-compete—consolidate gains across domains and
force a return to competition on favorable terms to the
Joint MDO Doctrine
United States and allies.
Some suggest a shared vision among the Services on multi-
How Will MDO Change the
domain operations is insufficient and DOD needs a joint
Organization of the Army?
doctrine and warfighting concept for MDO. On August 27,
2023, the Joint Chiefs of Staff acknowledged that Joint
As part of the release of The U.S. Army in Multi-Domain
Publication (JP) 1 Volume 1, Joint Warfighting, had been
Operations 2028, an Army official explained specific Army
published, noting it “provides foundational doctrine on the
echelons are to be given different “problems” to address
strategic direction of the Joint Force, the functions of
under MDO. Existing Divisions and Corps are to be tasked
DOD.” Key tenants of Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC)
with fighting and defeating specific components of the
3.0 include the following:
enemy’s system. As such, the Army will no longer organize
or center itself on Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) as it did
• Integrated, Combined Joint Force: The seamless
under previous National Defense Strategies. Under the
integration of all military Services across all warfighting
previous BCT-centered organizational construct, Divisions
domains, enabling them to function as a unified force.
and Corps had a limited warfighting role, but under MDO,
Divisions and Corps headquarters are to return to their
• Expanded Maneuver: Fluidly moving through space
historic warfighting roles, in which they employed
and time, including but not limited to maneuvering
subordinate units and allocated Corps and Division-level
through land, sea, air, space, cyber, the electromagnetic
assets to support subordinate units.
spectrum, information space, and the cognitive realm.
Under MDO, the Army plans to field five different types of
• Pulsed Operations: A type of joint all-domain
divisions across the Active and Reserve Components:
operation characterized by the deliberate application of
• The Armored Division is to be optimized with armored
joint force strength to generate or exploit advantages
breaching and bridging assets to conduct the military’s
over an adversary.
most difficult mission: defeating an adversary’s
deliberate defenses (penetration).
• Integrated Command, Agile Control: Seamless
command and control (C2) across all domains,
• Airborne and Air Assault Divisions are to be capable
integrating sensors, platforms, and decisionmaking
of joint forcible entry with strategic and operational
processes.
mobility and vertical envelopment to defeat an
adversaries’ defense.
• Global Fires: Integration of kinetic and non-kinetic
fires to deliver precise, synchronized global effects
• The Standard (Heavy) and Standard (Light)
across all domains
Divisions are to be organized with mixes of brigade
•
combat team types and task-organized to conduct a
Information Advantage: The rapid collection, analysis,
broad scope of missions worldwide.
and dissemination of information using advanced
technologies.
The Army is also creating five Multi-Domain Task Forces
(MDTFs). MDTFs are to be theater-level units to
• Resilient Logistics: The rapid movement of personnel
coordinate effects and fires in all domains against A2/AD
and equipment, timed in accordance with operational
networks.
requirements.
How Will MDO Impact Army
Modernization?
CRS Products
According to an August 2022 Army report to Congress,
CRS In Focus IF11797, The Army’s Multi-Domain Task
MDO-specific modernization is to be
Force (MDTF), by Andrew Feickert.
Focused signature modernization to provide a
specific portion of the force with doctrine,
organization,
training,
materiel,
leadership,
personnel, facilities, and policies that enable MDO.
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
The portion of the Total Force that will undergo
IF11409
focused signature-modernization includes three
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Defense Primer: Army Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11409 · VERSION 10 · UPDATED