Search for Deployment Theory: The German Campaign in Norway, April 1940

This monograph discusses the implications of deployment theory in planning deployment operations at the strategic and operational levels of war. It proposes that there are tenets of deployment planning that are interrelated with the principles of war. The tenets for deployment operations are deception, agility, dispersion, and synchronization. They are interrelated with the principles of war of surprise, security, objective, economy of force and unity of command. The monograph examines the deployment operations of the Germans in the Norwegian Campaign, April, 1940, and draws conclusions based on this successful operation. The case study is followed by a review of the current United States deployment management system and the deliberate planning cycle. It then shows the relationship of these two systems to deployment planning and discusses the responsibilities of the Joint Deployment Agency in the planning process. Based on these evaluations, the monograph identifies the key principles and concepts of operational deployment planning. The conclusion is a discussion of key factors and their implications for future deployment planning of the United States. The author proposes that U.S. Army doctrine include deployment planning factors in planning contingency deployments. (KR)