In late November 2001 Task Force 58 launched from ships off the coast of Pakistan to conduct the longest ranged amphibious assault in history with 403 Marines and Sailors, 4 fast-attack vehicles, and a variety of supporting equipment,. General James N. Mattis successfully accomplished this in large part to the effective execution of mission command. Commanders can utilize mission command as a philosophy or a warfighting function. Mission command as a philosophy is the use of commander's intent and mission orders to empower agile and adaptive leaders. It enables commanders to counter the uncertainty of operations by reducing the amount of certainty required to act in a given situation. Commanders build cohesive teams, provide a clear commander's intent and guidance, encourage the use of disciplined initiative, and use mission orders through the operations process to effectively use mission command as a philosophy. Commanders drive this operations process using mission command through six steps. First, they must understand the operational environment and the problem. Second, a commander must visualize his desired end state and operational approach. Third, he must describe that visualization to subordinates using time, space, purpose, and resources. Fourth, commanders must direct forces throughout preparation and execution. Finally, through each of the first four steps, commanders need to lead through purpose and motivation and assess through continuous monitoring and evaluation. General Mattis successfully utilized mission command as a philosophy by understanding, visualizing, leading, describing, and assessing through the operations process as the commander of Naval Task Force 58. In the days immediately following t... ... middle of paper ... ...ps Times, May 13, 2010. Cone, Robert W, and Jon D Mohundro. "Capstone: Strategic Landpower for the Company Commander." The Cavalry & Armor Journal, January-March 2014. Kopser, Joseph, and Allen Trujillo. "People will Be What They Can See: a Case Study in Leadership." The Cavalry & Armor Journal, January-March 2014. Lowrey, Colonel Nathan S. From The Sea. Washington, D.C.: History Division USMC, 2011. Reflections as a Combatant Commander in a Turbulent World. Performed by General (Retired) James Mattis. 2013. Mohundro, General Robert W. Cone and Captain Jon D. "Capstone: Strategic Landpower for the Company Commander." The Cavalry & Armor Journal, 2014. Pedersen, Richard N. "Mission Command: Realizing Unified Action." Small Wars Journal, May 2011. Tzu, Sun. The Art of War. New York: Simon & Brown, 2014. Warren, James A. American Spartans. New York: Pocket Books, 2005.
COL Prescott’s role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, or more correctly know as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, is a great example of how to properly execute mission command. An overview from The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (Moncure) reveals a number of operation and strategic objectives that the American militia had to consider. In this instance, COL Prescott takes charge of 1200 men with instructions to defend against incoming British forces that were seeking to occupy the surrounding hills during the Siege of Boston campaign. COL Prescott utilized a variety of steps in the operations process that contributed to his expert utilization of mission command over his forces. Through various sources from published works by experts on the subject, COL Prescott’s mission command demonstrates its effectiveness in his understanding of the situation against the British, his visualization to create an end state for t...
Mission command is the commander's use of authority and direction to empower adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations. It helps subordinates exercise disciplined initiative when operating within their commander’s intent. To facilitate effective mission command, commanders must accomplish four consecutive stages of the operations process. They must thoroughly understand the problem, visualize a solution that achieves a desired end state, and then accurately describe this visualization in order to direct the organization. Commanders continually lead and assess their organizations and provide input and influence to their subordinates and staff.
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Kelly Boian, MAJ, “Major General Melvin Zais and Hamburger Hill” (United States Army Command and General Staff College) 35-42
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The story of Custer’s Last Stand, formally known as “The Battle of Little Big Horn”(25 June 1876), is one that many would consider a legendary tale of gallantry amongst heroic Cavalry Soldiers gloriously fighting against all odds in the face of certain death, until the last bullet fired atop the hill that is now known as Custer’s Last Stand. Regardless of the mythical inspirational value that it provides to Soldiers aspiring to one day also become legendary heroes, from a military perspective, it also teaches us from the unforgiving realities of battle that re-emphasize the importance of tactical knowledge and it’s adequate application. Within my analysis, I will first explain the historical situation during the Western Expansion, the higher commander’s plan and intent for the operation, LTC Custer’s actions on the objective, resulted conclusion of the battle based on his actions, and the significance of this battle that stemmed in terms of tactical lessons learned.
Commanders at all levels face increasingly challenging scenarios as the operational environment changes. Some instinctively motivate and empower their subordinates to think and act independently, thereby influencing actions during combat. However, those who understand the commanders' activities of mission command will influence not only subordinates, but the outcome of the battle as well. Mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders.1 Commanders who understood the importance of mission command was Major General Horatio Gates. General Gates at the Battle of Saratoga successfully utilized mission command through leading, understanding, visualizing and assessing.
Keegan chooses the three well documented campaigns of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and Somme in 1916 to answer the question of his thesis: To find out how men who are faced with the threat of single-missile and multiple-missile weapons control their fears, fix their wounds, and face their death. In his words he is seeking “to catch a glimpse of the face of battle.”
According to Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-0 Mission Command, mission command philosophy is “the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations” (Department of Army 2012a). The commander employs mission command in all stages of the operation process. Army Doctrine Reference Publication (ADRP) 5-0 The Operations...
Farrell, Kevin W. "The Battle Of The Bulge." Army Magazine 63.12 (2013): 34-38. Military & Government Collection. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2012. Print.
The commander’s intent is a critical part of mission command. The commander, through the commander’s intent, must blend the art of command and the science of control that integrates all joint warfighting functions. ADM Wesley McDonald, Commander US Atlantic Command (LANTCOM), failed to convey the commander’s intent to the joint force for Operation Urgent Fury. This failure promoted misunderstanding and mutual trust issues among the joint force that affected the integration of joint functions such as intelligence and sustainment.
Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
In any unit, leadership determines the command climate, whether ethical or unethical. The Fall of the Warrior King explains how a commander’s attitude has a direct influence on how his unit will perform during war. His actions alone will set the tone for the rest of his unit. LTC Nathan Sasseman was an outstanding army leader who was destined for greatness. His failure to provide an ethical command climate led to serious violations within the army’s culture and as the book is titled, it led to the fall of the Warrior King.