16 Cases of Mission Command

by U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute, Donald P. Wright (Editor)

From the "In early 2013, the Combat Studies Institute became involved in this effort by writing a series of Mission Command case studies for use at the US Army's Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk. Those case studies form the core of this collection. Each case includes a brief account of a military action followed by an explanatory section that demonstrates how the case illustrates Mission Command principles. This structure was designed for use in training and schools but is equally conducive for self-study programs. None of the 16 cases in this volume offer examples of leaders practicing Mission Command perfectly. Some of the actions described, in fact, come from early periods in which the lack of radio and other modern communications made any level of command and control very difficult to attain. The real value of these cases lies in their ability to clearly convey how past leaders employed principles such as the use of commander's intent and the exercise of disciplined initiative to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. In this way, the past breathes life into current doctrine, making it more tangible and understandable. "

218 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2013

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was underwhelmed. It is a series of fairly interesting short stories to articulate mission command but I found the analysis lacking. For example, time is the most common resources needed to build cohesive teams and mutual trust. The stories did not support the principles well. So maybe the principles are the wrong ones?

[Almantas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numerous accounts of leadership performance in combat at various levels.

[William Olenick · Rating 4 out of 5]

16 short descriptions with analysis is the gist of this work. Each also has a suggested reading list to support interest in learning more about each scenario.