(DoD) The level of war at which campaigns and major operations are planned, conducted, and sustained to achieve strategic objectives within theaters or other operational areas. Activities at this level link tactics and strategy by establishing operational objectives needed to achieve the strategic objectives, sequencing events to achieve the operational objectives, initiating actions, and applying resources to bring about and sustain these events. See also strategic level of war; tactical level of war.
Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.
| APA | Military Dictionary (DoD). (2011). operational level of war. Retrieved September 27, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/operational_level_of_war/definitions/1963174 |
| Chicago | Military Dictionary (DoD). 2011. "operational level of war" http://smartdefine.org/operational_level_of_war/definitions/1963174 (accessed September 27, 2026). |
| Harvard | Military Dictionary (DoD) 2011, operational level of war, Smart Define, viewed 27 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/operational_level_of_war/definitions/1963174>. |
| MLA | Military Dictionary (DoD). "operational level of war" 4 April 2011. Web. 27 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/operational_level_of_war/definitions/1963174> |