Operational thinking

Operational thinking would ensure that the actions of one's naval forces contribute to the accomplishment of the ultimate operational or strategic objective. Operational thinking is difficult to describe succinctly because it entails a large number of attributes. Among other things, operational thinking means to have the ability to differentiate between essential and non-essential or even trivial events in a situation. Compared to land warfare, there were relatively only a few admirals in history who were both operational or strategic thinkers and practitioners. Operational thinking is acquired through what can be arbitrarily called "direct" and "indirect" experiences. Operational vision is a combination of the operational commander's personality traits, professional education and training, and experience. Military institutions, as well as societal and cultural influences, both provide a framework and shape the commander's operational thinking. Operational thinking is only in some very rare cases the result of a commander's inherent predisposition to think broadly and far ahead of current events.