Examples Of Mission Command And The Battle Of Little Bighorn

The purpose of this paper is to identify the uses and application of mission command within Operation Anaconda. Operation Anaconda took place in the Shahikot Valley of eastern Afghanistan in early March of 2002. The ground commander selected to lead the operation was Major General (MG) Hagenbeck of the 10th Mountain Division, and for the purpose of this operation, Coalition and Joint Task Force (CJTF) Mountain. Due to the limited number of troops under his command currently available in Afghanistan, MG Hagenbeck was given command in addition to one of his own organic battalions, the 3rd Brigade, 101st Air Assault Division, some Special Operations Force (SOF) units, and Coalition Forces. This paper will identify MG Hagenbeck’s, his staff’s, and higher command’s use of the mission command principles during this operation. The principles of mission command are accept prudent risk, use mission orders, exercise disciplined initiative, provide a clear commander’s intent, create shared understanding, and lastly, build cohesive teams through mutual trust (Mission Command, 2014).

Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, leaders of the Sioux tribe on the Great Plains, strongly resisted the mid-19th-century efforts of the U.S. government to confine their people to reservations. In 1875, after gold was discovered in South Dakota’s Black Hills, the U.S. Army ignored previous treaty agreements and invaded the region. This betrayal led many Sioux and Cheyenne tribesmen to leave their reservations and join Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in Montana. By the late spring of 1876, more than 10,000 Native Americans had

Operational leaders down to the platoon and squad level have recently faced increasingly complex missions in uncertain operational environments. Accordingly, Army doctrine has shifted to officially recognize mission command, which enables leaders at the lowest level feasible to “exercise disciplined initiative” in the accomplishment of a larger mission. The operational process consists of six tenants: understand, visualize, describe, direct, lead, and assess. During the battle of Fallujah, LtGen Natonski understood the intent two levels up, visualizing courses of action for both allies and the enemy, and leading his organization into combat while directing his officers and soldiers to meet his intent. He visualized that Marines alone could not accomplish the mission. He understood that without the support of Iraqi police and a task force from the Army with

On June 25, 1876, a battle was fought on the territory of Montana. This battle became known as the battle of Little Bighorn. The battle took place because Natives refused to move off territories that they were told to move from into native reserves. When they refused the U.S Army was dispatched to confront them. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong led the troops into battle. Native warriors from Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne outnumbered the Army. June 25,

The 7th Cavalry Regiment's destruction at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876 is the subject of over a century of debate. LTC George A. Custer failed to exercise four key responsibilities that were expected of him as the regiment’s commander. He failed to understand the problem and environment, visualize a feasible solution, clearly describe it to his subordinates, and effectively direct his forces. These four aspects of mission command are integral to the operations process and help Soldiers understand and execute their commander's intent. Custer's failure to properly fulfill his role in the operations process resulted in his death and a strategic defeat for the nation.

President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott and around 7,000 soldiers to remove the rest of the Native Americans. The army forced the Cherokee into stockades at bayonet point while the settlers stole supplies from their homes. Some of the Native Americans did not like what they were doing, so they planned attacks on white settlements. On June 25, 1876 near the Little Bighorn river, Colonel George Armstrong Custer was ordered by General Alfred Terry to take the 7th cavalry and scout for troops ahead. Instead of waiting for reinforcements, Custer went ahead and closed in on the Indian camp. The Indians saw the incoming attack and gathered nearly 3,000 fighters to meet the head on. As Custer and his 200 men entered the Little Bighorn River valley, the 3,000 Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors attacked them and had the small american force surrounded. Within an hour the Natives had killed Custer and troops. This battle was called the Battle of Little Bighorn or (Custer's Last Stand). Some time the Natives would ride into town and attack the settlers, but sadly the buffalo hunters would use there “Bufalo Guns”. With a high rate of fire, these guns were good at defending the towns until the military's reinforcements would arrive. This is one of many native american

On June 25, 1876 the “Battle Of Little Bighorn” took place.  The battle it self took place by Little Bighorn River in Montana.  Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse along with the Sioux, and the Cheyenne were all there at Little Bighorn not wanting to return to the reservations without a fight.  When George Armstrong Custer went down to the area he was unaware of how many Indians were actually there.  So due to that Custer underestimating

The Battle of Little Bighorn is considered to be one of the biggest blunders in American military history. It is also believed to be one of the most unfair decisions made by the military because of the fact that it was extremely discriminatory to the Native Americans that lived in the region of the Black Hills in South Dakota. The rights of Native Americans has been an ongoing issue ever since the pilgrims started making their settlements on Indian land. Indians had finally had enough of the Americans taking their land and in June of 1876, a bloody battle took place that would never be forgotten.

Many of the Indians didn’t hear about the order while others simply ignored it. So Grant decided to send troops to the Dakota territory to fight the Native Americans. John Gibbon, George Crook, and Alfred Terry led these troops (PBS n.d.). Custer was not part of the force during this time due to political issues. The biggest reason Grant avoided using Custer was because he had testified about corruption in Grant’s Indian affairs offices (PBS n.d.). It wasn’t long before Grant’s friend Philip Sheridan persuaded Grant to send Custer west.

George Armstrong Custer was born in Ohio on December 5, 1839. He entered the military academy at West Point in 1857. He was not strong academically, but he showed strong leadership qualities at an early age. Custer got into the militaristic mindset early in life. He entered the American Civil War fresh out of West Point and became quite famous as a member of a generation of boy generals known for their aggressiveness. He reported to the 2nd US Cavalry as 2nd Lieutenant in the battle of the First Bull Run. Custer briefly served on the staff of Brigadier General Philip

The Black Hills of South Dakota were home to a number of Native American tribes including but not limited to the Sioux, Lakota, and Cheyenne. When Custer found gold, the Sioux of the Black Hills refused to sell the land to him when he asked. He reported their refusal back to the government and was further commanded to take the land alongside General Terry. On the way, Custer stumbled across a large multitude of Indians and decided to abandon agreements with General Terry and attack the natives in his own manner. Expecting a small amount of warriors, he asked only two other military leaders, Captain Benteen and Major Reno, to help him with a triple attack in which they would confront different areas of the camp. Custer, unluckily, went to a valley at the Little Bighorn River and became surrounded by Indians who killed him and his whole cavalry. They were later mutilated by the

This paper takes a look at the “victory disease” as illustrated in the historic example of the Battle of Little Bighorn when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and 210 of his men where annihilated by some 2500 warriors from the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations. Throughout history the United States military has suffered from an invincible mentality, arrogance, and complacency all built upon by numerous victories and a national psyche that creates military leaders who expect overwhelming victories in any armed conflict we find ourselves in. The Battle of the Little Bighorn embodies many of the “victory disease” symptoms, as evidenced by LTC Custer’s over confidence and failure to follow orders. Historians and scholars continue to analyze and critiqued the decisions made in combat by our military leaders, for those decisions we make in combat effect the lives of many. This paper will attempt to re-dissect the battle and Custer’s decisions in an attempt to find additional courses of actions that may have been taken, and learn from his analytic mistakes.

The battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, took place in South Central Montana, along the Little Bighorn River. The town of Hardin Montana is now located near there, along with the Crow Indian Reservation. On June 25th and 26th, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer would lead the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry against the warriors of the Lakota, Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. 210 men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment went to battle those two days against an estimated warrior force of 1,500-1,800 Indian warriors.1 This battle remains one of the most studied military actions in U.S. history.

The Black Hills, a former sacred place to the Indians, have an onrush of settlers that move in due to rumors of gold and other valuable materials. The Sioux Indians are angry at the United States Army for spreading this rumor, and they begin to fight. The soldiers decide to attack an Oglala and Cheyenne camp on March 17, 1876, and the camp is destroyed. Soon after, at the clash at Rosebud (June 17), the Indians beat the army. The Indians win again the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 29. At this battle General George Custer and many of his troops died. White people were angry at the Indians after this battle, and they wanted the Indians to sign a treaty that would remove the Indians from the Black Hills and send them to land that was near

When he was discovered by one of the Sioux, he ordered his regiment to attack. Custer was overwhelmed by the number of Native Americans and he and his whole regiment died on what is now known as Custer Hill. The other force barely escaped and suffered casualties as well. In the end, the Battle of Little Bighorn was a disaster for the United States.