is there any method to how military operations are named?

Answer 1

The one answerer said it best with the annotated system. A computer generates a group of different names using random words. The data base of words are those I call "action nouns", e.g. "tiger" "panther" etc. Sometimes the selection is made in a way to match the political aims of the civilian leadership. One example of that would be Operation Just Cause.

Answer 2

Operations during the Second World War were randomly generated, but not with a computer. They were single word code names (except the English often used two words names) that were dissimilar from other operational code words.

During Vietnam, the leadership in Washington developed the operations and their code names. These were two word code names that somewhat described the operation: Rolling Thunder was a escalating bombing campaign, Ranch Hand was the spraying of defoliant. That tradition has continued to today: Just Cause, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom.

Answer 3

The typical way is to have two lists of possible words, for two-word names. A computer randomly picks a word from each list. This becomes the preliminary code name. Then some colonel or higher decides it isn't cool enough, and if he has enough rank he makes up a new one.

Answer 4

No there is almost never a method. The names are chosen by high ranking officials and usually only cause they sound cool.

Answer 5

That's actually someone's job to name operations. The position is names: Accountable Nomaration Adjunct (ANA)

Answer 6

I have seen that while operations may seem to have random names, exercises have names that relate to their training objectives or area of operations.

Answer 7

those names come from 14 year old kids who play dungeon & dragons

Answer 8

the girl above me summed it up pretty good.

Answer 9

That is classified information.

Answer 10

YOU HAVE RECIEVED THREE VERY GOOD ANSWERS....NOW SSSSHHHHHHHHHUP