- Armies at the centre of the “swing” were fortified, leaving those on the outside weak and slow…
As one of the most famous battles of Vietnam, the battle of Dong Ap Bia provides a useful case study for the concept of mission command. Infamously known as Hamburger Hill, the high casualties and subsequent abandonment of the mountain caused critics to question the decision of military leaders. As with many battles in Vietnam, the commander, LTC Honeycutt, contended with the enemy while attempting to exert control with incomplete information in jungle-covered mountains. Although he was generally successful in fulfilling the six imperatives of mission command, it does not prove decisive to the U.S. Army’s ultimate victory. LTC Honeycutt’s approach to mission command is both lean and blunt, focused on success in combat.…
According to Frontline and an interview with COL Perkins, “as the United States developed its war plan, it was clear that it would have to take Baghdad to have a decisive victory”.5 COL Perkin’s knew this and provided his unit with clear and concise purpose as well as the desired end state when conducting both Thunder Runs. The intent was to collect intelligence, push through city and remain downtown if specific conditions were met. The end state was to collapse the Saddam Government and Iraqi regime. Perkins acted on the guidance from LTG Wallace and MG Blount, and relayed it down to his three subordinate battalion commanders. COL Perkins ensured there was no confusion due to the high risk involved. He gave orders to “attack as fast as you can, and push through the center of the city. If a vehicle becomes disabled due to enemy fire, you immediately take the crew off, put them on another vehicle, and you just leave it”.6 COL Perkins gave specific guidance on Objective Moe, Larry and Curly which was crucial to keeping…
Although Robert E. Lee, Commanding General of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, was on the losing side of the Civil War, people still recognize him as a war hero due to his successful battlefield tactics and maneuvering. Midway through the war, Gen. Lee had so much success out-maneuvering Union forces that it seemed as though the Confederates would win. However, in July of 1863, Union forces defeated the Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of Gettysburg causing a pivotal moment in the course of the war. Analyzing Gen. Lee’s failure at the Battle of Gettysburg through the principles of Mission Command will help determine why he was unsuccessful. Today, the principles of Mission Command are the standard by which military leaders…
an advantageous position against the 24th Virginia Infantry and D.H Hill which were trying to…
The events that were described in this case study sounds to me as if they started off with the planning model of Rational Planning. I say this due to the fact that all the right parties were alerted to what needed to be done with goals being said and set to be put into place for starters. This did help with the main concerns being priorities and kept to along with formations being followed with effective organized tactics. They were put into place after the goals were set and made. As I read this case study and from my understandings this war was being analyzed and evaluated by senior officers in Washington who all had different ways and structures they thought would work best for meeting the goals that had been set into place. This was one of the Rational models of continuing opinions with the planning process in order to see what all has currently worked with what was set to be done and what was not working and needed to be taken out and improved. But with that being said this is where I could see were the Rational Planning model some what worked and where the weakness of the plan begin to splay its role. The thorough communications about the goals that worked and were not working were not being met let alone everyone was on different pages with alternative actions that needed to be done. There were no set connections information being made of all the shared resources at all.…
The ability of Cutler’s Brigade to repel multiple attacks to the northwest of Gettysburg on the first day of battle was instrumental in the Union Army’s success at Gettysburg. Because Cutler’s Brigade was able to stop the enemy from flanking the Division line, the rest of the Army of the Potomac was able to move into position around Gettysburg. This emplacement of the rest of the Union Army around Gettysburg was vital to its success in the Gettysburg campaign; its success in the Gettysburg campaign was vital to the Union victory in the Civil War.…
One of Jomini’s main points of interest in war is the importance of lines of operation, which is essentially the direction of army in land from its headquarter to a military target, in respect to the enemy. In this way, what he would concede to be the challenge of war is,”… establish them in reference…
The amount of Soldiers killed or wounded in action came in a period of just two weeks and was a direct result as a task organization failure. If operation Anaconda’s task organization provided more intelligence sections, the amount of casualties could have been avoided based on accurate reporting of the amount of insurgents in the region.…
Two of these lessons clearly stand out: Overconfident leadership, and ignoring the intelligence. There was clearly a lack of communication, coordination, and planning at all echelons. Information sharing is key to plan such a large scale airborne operation that involved numerous airborne and ground units. No matter how much of the operation was planned, if the information is being stovepipe, then the mission is doomed for failure. In Market Garden senior leadership jockeyed for position and assets; therefore sparred amongst themselves. I truly believe these leadership errors lead to ignoring the intelligence. Regardless of the Germans will or lack thereof to fight, their sheer numbers on the ground were much larger than what Montgomery wanted to truly believe. Logistical lines suffered with limited maneuverable passages; but more importantly because of all these issues, not all the bridges to Arnhem were secured in time for Garden to advance to Arnhem. Market Garden will be one of the most analyzed operations in history not only due to its failure, but also for its the overzealous leadership and the rush to end the…
The Boer may have mobility but what they lack is the key to British troops fighting, order. My men, have mastered order and with the equiptment supplied we are sure to win this battle.…
The Prussian Baron von Steuben, being a newcomer to the Revolutionary cause in America, was in a position to see many of the deficiencies in military discipline and their causes. The reasons for his unique insight may have been due to the fact that he was distanced from the revolutionary ideals in America, and as a result, was able to better observe and understand them; and ultimately use them to shape his new and successful form of discipline in the Continental Army. Most of the commanders of the Continental Army, from the commander in chief to the lower officers had subscribed to the traditional European method that relied on fear to achieve discipline. This method of fear was probably not essential, and had little if any effect in the early days of the war because the soldiers were mostly fighting for their own ideologies. To the soldiers, the commanders were of little importance.…
The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Army War College or the Department of the Army.…
Consequently, though the rebels were demolished in the battle and were thus a failure, the rebels would have carried out their objectives by raising the conscience and as the comrades of historian says carried them, “their complaints with the knowledge of the government”.…
lose situation for the people. The support of the army was a major factor in…
