Planning Meeting For The Army Of The South

Six raids were conducted during the interval prior using similar tactics and patterns of maneuver. Minimal changes were made to the plan of operations from raid to raid. One of the drawbacks to performing several very similar operations was that Aideed’s forces used the intelligence collected during these raids to better prepare for a fight with the Ranger element. With each progressive raids, Aideed’s forces had identified the use of low circling helicopters and the lack of armored vehicles as the weaknesses of Joint Task Force Ranger. It became clear the week prior to the Battle of Mogadishu that Somalis were capable of shooting down helicopters with RPGS. MG Garrison added rockets to Blackhawks for added firepower. However, he but did not postpone operations while armor or heavier gunships were requested. He also failed to modify raid plans to keep helicopters out of the firing range of

Mission command belongs to the Army’s list of seven war fighting functions. While the other six of the Army’s war fighting functions specifically align to the application of combat power, mission command applies to leadership and its application. Mission command redefines the old construct of C2, command and control, by morphing the ideology into two distinct thoughts, the art of command and the science of control. Although mission command is a relatively new concept, it’s principles and application transcend time. This paper examines General Robert E. Lee’s application of the mission command principles at the Battle of Gettysburg.

It can be said that the South began the Civil War from a winning position. They had declared their independence, formed their own country and government, and they needed only to keep what they already had. But this was a monumental task as the government was required to protect every inch of land within the Confederacy. As a new country, the Confederacy needed to demonstrate the ability to defend its own territory from external threat. Without this ability, the Confederacy could never receive the international recognition and support it needed to survive. Aside from this reason, the South also needed to protect the institution of slavery from outside interference. If the Northern armies took control of a particular Southern area, the Confederates felt that they would free all the slaves, thus destroying the entire structure of society and its economic value. Because of this, Jefferson Davis was forced to devise a flawed war strategy which attempted to preserve the entire Confederacy at the cost of concentrating his forces.

The romanticized version of the Civil War creates a picture of the North versus the South with the North imposing on the South. However, after reading “The Making of a Confederate” by William L. Barney, one can see that subdivisions existed before the war was declared. The documents analyzed by Barney primarily focus on the experiences of Walter Lenoir, a southern confederate and a member of the planter elite. His experiences tell a vivid story of a passionate and strongly opinioned participant of the Civil War as well as demonstrate a noticeably different view involving his reasoning when choosing a side. Between analyzing this fantastic piece of literature and other resourceful documents from “Voices of Freedom” by Eric Foner, one

General Gage understood that detaining the key leaders would not prove fruitful and therefore changed the mission to strictly searching for and seizing arms, munitions, supplies, and military stores. General Gage gave this mission to Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith with very discreet orders to not brief his soldiers as to what the exact mission would be. General Gage also appointed Major John Pitcairn as the Executive Officer for the mission. “The initial mission would consist of approximately 700 British Regulars, who were pulled from 11 of General Gage’s 13 infantry regiments. Major Pitcairn would command 10 elite infantry companies and Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Bernard would command 11 grenadier companies. Of the 700 Regulars assigned to conduct the mission, 350 were from the grenadier companies: 4th (King’s Own), 5th, 10th, 18th (Royal Irish), 23rd, 38th, 43rd, 47th, 52nd and 59th Regiments of Foot as well as the 1st battalion of the 1st Battalion of His Majesty’s Marine Forces. There was approximately 320 light infantry assigned the role of protecting the grenadier units. These light infantry Regulars were from the 4th, 5th, 10th, 23rd, 38th, 43rd, 47th, 52nd and 59th Regiments and the 1st Battalion of the Marines” (Fischer, 1994). The 700 Regulars were to move from Boston to Concord through a two phase

On top of trying to establish an area where they could sit down and not have to worry about direct fire, 1st platoon was also tasked with conducting patrols and manning TCP's which they did not have the men to

Each general that was appointed commander of the army in the east had his own plans when it came to defeating the Confederates. Beginning with McDowell, the first general to command a large army in the war, the task seemed

Air support had planned to bombard enemy positions for 55 minutes; however, miscommunication between Texas 14 and higher led to a short bombardment and a total of six bombs being dropped. TF HAMMER was unsuccessful in entering the valley due to a heavy amount of small arms fire and mortar attacks. The lack of air support triggered by bad communication frustrated Afghan and Special Forces alike and led to Afghan trucks being hit heavily by pre-registered mortar fire on known choke points by Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. Unity of command is crucial in conducting a successful military operation: communication flows smoothly through a unified command, but unfortunately for a non-unified command, the reverse effect holds true.

By the 1860s, neither the North nor the South was prepared for a major war. However, while the north at least had a functioning government in place, more resources to begin with, and a more effective leader, the South had virtually nothing in comparison. They lacked infrastructure and population to serve in the military, their finances were in shambles, and they had a weak leader. These factors played a great impact in determining the outcome of the war.

United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has been working to build regional and interagency partnerships to ensure the continued stability of the Western Hemisphere and the forward defense of the U.S. homeland for more than fifty years. U.S. Southern Command is responsible to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States for national security interests through roughly one half of this hemisphere – 31 countries, 16 dependencies and areas of special sovereignty, and approximately four hundred and sixty million people. SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility includes the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico; the waters adjacent to Central and South America; and the Caribbean Sea. (United States Southern Commamd n.d.) SOUTHCOM priorities are: (1) Countering Transnational Organized Crime; (2) Counterterrorism; (3) Building Partner Capacity; (4) Contingency Response; (5) Detainee Operations. SOUTHCOM missions are carried out by its component commands: (1) U.S. Army South; (2) 12th Air Force (AF South); (3) U.S. Marine Corps Forces South; (4) U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command; (5) Special Operations Command South; (6) Joint Task Force Bravo, Soto Cano Air Base; (7) Joint Task Force Guantanamo; and (8) Joint Interagency Task Force South. (114th Congress Senate Armed Services Committee 2016)

The Continental Army in the South had suffered several embarrassing defeats. The British defeated General Howe at Savannah, Georgia leaving the city in British hands. General Benjamin Lincoln lost Charleston, South Carolina and General Horatio Gates lost Camden, South Carolina with the Army disintegrating and fleeing in retreat. These losses allowed Lord Cornwallis to freely recruit support and raise levies in the South with plans to move into and conquer Virginia.

“Commanders direct all aspects of operations by establishing their commander’s intent, setting achievable objectives, and issuing clear tasks to subordinate units.” During the battle, McClellan personally “directed the actions of his generals from his headquarters, two and one-half miles from the front lines, visiting the field only once.” McClellan issued orders to his generals through couriers and flag signals; in addition, kept apprised of the action by telescope even though parts of the battle were not visible. This distancing potentially clouded his judgment, reducing his ability to achieve success. Since McClellan did not consult with his generals about his operations process, due to the lack of trust, there was no coordination between the McClellan’s adjacent

All of the units responsible for supplying the items needed had surrendered to an Army General by the name of General Clayton. The combat units of the Army of the Potomac seemed much more dedicated to the cause then the support units. They fought hard and kept coming back even against overwhelming firepower. As the days passed those units began running out of ammunition, once that happened they started to lay down their arms and surrender. It took a while, but eventually all of the units surrendered, after it became evident what was happening the Marines and US Army started to back off, they secured the perimeter around an opposing unit, and basically let their supplies run

By the time the military had its own aircraft in the sky, the intruders were already gone. This told the commanders that they were under strong surveillance by a presence that could only be hostile.

“Agh! I thought I had ‘em,” Philip fumed as he walked out the opening that had once held a door. The Barak’s waited for another 5 minutes before daring to whisper.