Summary: Mission Command Professional Experience

Six principles comprise the philosophy of mission command: (a) build cohesive teams through mutual trust; (b) create share understanding; (c) provide clear commander’s intent; (d) exercise disciplined initiative; (e) use mission orders; and (f) accept prudent risk. When combined together, these six principles assist the commander in balancing the aforementioned art of command and science of control. To understand how General Robert E. Lee’s performance at Gettysburg lacked the marks of a great mission commander necessitates a deeper understanding of the individual principles of mission command.

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).

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

Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-0 defines mission command as “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” (U.S Army, Training and Doctrine Command, Combined Arms Center, Center for the Army Profession and Ethic, 2015, p. 1). The six principles of mission command direct leaders to build cohesive teams through mutual trust, create shared understanding, provide a clear commander’s intent, exercise disciplined initiative, use mission orders, and accept prudent risk. These principles enable subordinates that

This concise paper addresses a lifetime of learning on part of the author and the gracious graduated squadron commander interviewee who leant his time and wisdom. In the next few paragraphs the three key elements that will be addressed include: the author’s leadership philosophy, elicited in the hot seat from the Group Commander, a summary of the author’s commander interview, and an analysis of the interview through the lens of the author’s own philosophy.

Mission command consist of the following six principles: build cohesive teams through mutual trust, create sheared understanding, provide clear commander’s

Transitioning to command from any other leadership challenge in the military requires that an officer experiences a mental shift in his/her approach to exercising the newly granted authority, responsibility and accountability for the unit. Army doctrine suggests that authority, responsibility, and accountability are inherent attributes of command. These attributes of command coupled with the expectations of the commander, demand a new and holistic approach to commandership, which is defined as exercising the art of command through leadership, management, and command.

The mission command system is expressed as the placement of individuals within a unit conducting operations with a specific set of procedures and principles in place to optimize the use of its equipment. What does it mean to recognize or comprehend the art of Command and the science of Control? There are six key principles of mission command in developing a cohesive team that support all aspects of a mission. The following essay will discuss these principles and examine examples of how the famous Operation Anaconda both endured victories and inadequacies.

U.S. air forces were under the command of the Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC) and its Combined Air Operations

Commanders are the greatest asset when conducting the operations process. Commanders drive the operations process through understanding, visualizing, describing, directing, leading, and assessing operations. During the operations process, the staff conducts essential functions that support the effectiveness of operations and contribute to the overall successfulness of mission accomplishment. Accurate and timely running estimates are vital knowledge management tools that assist commanders in driving the operations process.

In the infancy of Operation Enduring Freedom the command structure was dislocated, lacked complete oversight, and had other responsibilities that stacked the deck against them to be able to properly prepare for Operation Anaconda. General Franks Commanded Operations in Afghanistan as the CENTCOM Commander from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. CENTCOM directed Operations through the Coalition Forces Air Component Command (CFACC) via its Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in the Persian Gulf, and the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) which was located at Camp Doha Kuwait (Fleri, Howard, Hukill, & Thomas, 2003). Furthermore, in addition to the conventional and special operations forces (SOF) units and assets operating under CENTCON control, other government agencies and SOF operating directly under the Secretary of Defense (Black SOF) operated concurrently in the AOR.

Mission command “…enables military operations through decentralized execution based on mission-type orders.” Effective C2 through mission command requires a clear commander’s intent, mutual trust, and understanding. The command structure leading HUSKY failed to exemplify these attributes, resulting in weak C2 through the planning and execution phases of the

I will discuss the six principles to mission command (Build cohesive teams through mutual trust, Create a shared understanding, Provide a clear commander’s intent, Exercise disciplined initiative, Use mission orders, and Accept prudent risk) to provide a better understanding for mission planning

during planning and execution of Anaconda, but it did not yet have full Combined Joint Task Force authority to plan a joint battle Many of its integrated assets were deployed in different other countries. It had a recently established a combined Air liaison cell but no fully developed air support

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the MCTP (Mission Command Training Program). Unlike the traditional training centers that focus on training units on the ground, the MCTP used the simulation programs to carry out training operations. The project provided the efficient strategy to carry out the training, maximized the limited resources, and saved the Department of Army fund for the long-term training project. Typically, the MCTP was the Army Combat Training Center (CTC) that assisted units in building teams as well as developing process to plan and conduct operations in theater. The top priority of the MCTP was to decline the exercise costs and maximize the unique capabilities of the units. The goal of MCTP was also to deliver a cost effective quality training to improve the knowledge and proficiency of the units without jeopardizing the training quality.