Distributed Operations (DO) is a new war-fighting concept being adopted by the United States Marine Corps and is being developed by their Warfighting Laboratory as a response to the changing environment of the Global War on Terror. Adaptive enemies and a more complex environment required that conventional forces have the ability to decentralize decision making and distribute their forces. The concept is the brainchild of General James Mattis and will maximize a Marine Air Ground Task Force commander's ability to employ tactical units across the depth and breadth of a non-linear battlespace.