Candidate Weems Case

Mission orders may be understood by the leader’s subordinates, however poor training and development amongst other practices may hinder the execution of the commander’s intent. Everything starts with training. Rehearsals are key in knowing what to do and how to react when the time comes. The team may know what to do through the orders, however they will not know how to perform tasks if

It took place on March, 25, 1931 near Scottsboro, Alabama. The 9 african american boys were taken off the train for charges of assault from the whites. Then all 9 boys were accused of rape from white women Victoria Price and Ruby Bates.

What might have been the setback we previously faced in making decisive, clear or sound effective decisions? Was it a defect in how Commanders and Leaders led units or troops, or perhaps the philosophy in which we chose to command and control every aspect of the battlefield? What does it mean to recognize or comprehend the art of Command and the science of Control? The six principles of mission command are key in developing a cohesive team that will support all aspects of the mission. Asking “why” is now encouraged when it pertains to certain situations or missions. Understanding the purpose of why a course of action or desired outcome is necessary, leads to mission success and a cohesive unit with thinking leaders. Thinking clearly usually isn’t an issue for most leaders, but position an individual in a situation of extreme stress or complexity, then there might be a reason to be concerned. Through

A third failure in understanding the operational environment occurred when Sears coordinated the delivery of rice from Haidho to the stricken area in Sarkhan. His lack of understanding of the Sarkhanese and communist tactics was reciprocated by his subordinates. The latter became evident when the rice bags were labeled as if coming from the communists and no USIS employee realized what it meant. In addition, there was no effort from US employees to talk or interact with locals at the destination. The confusion led the Sarkhanese to believe that the rice bags in fact were provided by the communists.

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

SNC gave a detailed brief that outlined a precise plan that was coherent and directed towards mission accomplishment. SNC contradicted a well thought out plan of action with a monotone voice and his use of filler words, such as, uh and um, coupled with a lack of passion. The lack of passion was seen in his sense of urgency as SNC spent 80% of his time briefing his 5 paragraph order that adversely affected his sense of urgency. SNC was able to secure the objective quickly, but loss situational awareness of his surroundings and enemy position that initially created confusion when engaged by the enemy. SNC was able to make clear and concise decisions in an appropriate amount of time that efficiently utilized his fellow candidates. This expedited

Generals during World War II faced daily innumerable difficult and grave decisions. Critical decisions made during WWII did not have the depth and speed of today’s modern communications infrastructure. Eisenhower quoted, “Making decisions is of the essence in leadership.”1

Maj. Gen. “Fighting Joe” Hooker demonstrated an excellent example of failed mission command during the Battle of Chancellorsville in April 1863. He had thought he would defeat General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia by maneuver beginning in Chancellorsville as he pushed Lee toward Richmond. His commitment toward his own plan for Lee’s response would overshadow his operational planning and ultimately lead to a mission command failure at Chancellorsville despite outnumbering Lee’s troops 128,000 to 60,000. Through decentralized execution, Hooker could have empowered agile and adaptive leadership to operate under uncertainty, exploit opportunities, and achieve unity of effort. Instead, he failed in exercising at least four principles of mission command. He did not provide a clear commander’s intent, create shared understanding, exercise disciplined initiative, or accept prudent risk.

Overall, Candidate Friederick's lack of confidence hindered both her operations order and her execution of her assigned mission. Her delivery lacked enthusiasm and interest. While her lack of confidence indicated unfamiliarity with the five paragraph order, SNC did brief a detailed mission statement with a task and purpose. SNC also briefed some details of her scheme of maneuver and some tasks to her subordinates, but the lack of detail and her confidence ultimately failed to inspire the other candidates in her fire team. As her fire team moved from order to execution, SNC appeared lethargic with little to no awareness of her surroundings as the team approached the objective. SNC both heard and saw the enemy combatant and demonstrated

Candidate Kautz briefed a detailed orientation with confidence and clarity. His five paragraph order was complete and briefed thoroughly to his fire team. Candidate Kautz was not the first one on the platform and stood in the back attempting to control his fire team. This caused him to lose control of members and not fully understand the points of friction. Candidate Kautz failed to display a sense of urgency and make decisions quickly when asked by his fire team. Though he maintained confident, his decision making ability lacked. Once he identified his solution would not work, there was a pause of over two minutes in which he stopped to create another solution to the problem. His fire team appeared to respect SNC and he was clearly

Candidate Otoole confidently briefed her five paragraph order to her fire team, but failed to brief the “why” portion of her mission statement. She identified the urgency of time, and decided to utilize the column formation to move quickly to the objective. SNC then briefed upon contact, the fire team would move into a skirmisher to appropriately attack through the enemy. Through the movement to the objective, Candidate Otoole controlled her fire team by maintaining eye contact with each member and consistently passing the formation of the fire team. Candidate Otool attacked through the objective and conducted an incomplete inspection of the cache site; she did not thoroughly look through the ammo can. SNC had a clear understanding of

Candidate Schainholz spent five of the ten minutes allotted to negotiate the obstacle briefing the five paragraph order. It was apparent that SNC was uncertain in his ability to properly convey the required information to his subordinates. Candidate Schainholz successfully covered every aspect of the order but found it necessary to brief it twice. Furthermore, SNC was communicating almost at a whisper and was directed to speak up several times by the evaluator. After realizing how much time he had spent briefing, SNC began to rush to generate a plan for the execution phase that created confusion among his team. Tasking statements were unclear and his plan was obscure. Regardless of the limited time his team had to complete the obstacle, Candidate

The timeliness and accuracy of decision making comes over time. Seasoned leaders respond to issues with a calculated cool because of years of experience. A key to military officer development are its structured leadership opportunities. General Savage spent many hours in the copilot seat before he sat in the pilot seat. A key to his decision making process is the introspection he developed from watching and being mentored by officers senior to him.

The warning order must also follow the guidelines of the five paragraph OPORD format. A warning issue may include what the mission consists of, coordinating instructions, deadline, and who is all responsible for seeing this task is seen through. Which brings us to our final step of leader’s responsibilities: make a tentative plan. This is what really separates the boys from the men. Up until now, it was merely receiving orders of what to do and who is a part of the plan. Step 3 is all about the plan for mission essentials, analysis, specific and implied tasks, and a restated mission report. The responsibility for this step is something not for the weak minded as no situation is the same.

Candidate Zdeb barely met the minimum requirements of a five paragraph order by stating all paragraphs but breifing little to no detail within each one. SNC had no concept of tasking statements and his team had no idea what the plan to accomplish the mission was when he had completed his brief. Once his brief was complete, SNC finally looked at the obstacle for the first time and took an extended pauseevaluate it and try to develop a plan. When the equipment he was provided with became out of play twice, SNC counted down from sixty seconds himself both times, wasting two minutes of time he could have used to formulate a different plan and failing effectively utilize his team members by not delegating tasks accordingly. After his first course