Mission Command, Research Paper Example

The idea of tailoring command structure to the needs of particular mission is one that is central to the policy of mission command. Colonel Tom Guthrie’s article “Mission Command: “Do We Really Have the Stomach For What Is ReallyRequired?” touches on three critical aspects of the mission command concept and how mission command is an effective way of dealing with change and challenges at all levels of military operations from ground-force training to economics. The article opens by posing the central question: will mission command remain a theory or will it be incorporated into action? The author suggests that the answer to this question may impact the future evolution of the armed forces as a whole.

The first point that Guthrie makes about mission command is that the concept implies a degree of decentralization that is often at-odds with traditional military policy. Guthrie suggests that trust is an essential part of any decentralization of command and that the pay-off for decentralization is flexibility and adaptability, qualities that streamline and help to perfect expenditures and operations. The second point that Guthrie makes is that mission command allows for on-the spot improvisation by individual leaders along the chain of command. This means that orders that are made from general specifications that conflict with local realities can be modulated by sub-commanders to help with ease and flow of operations. The third important point that Guthrie makes is that the accumulation of technology and other mechanical power that is enjoyed by the military is worthless without correspondingly “high-tech” understanding of the nature of leadership and adaptability. In Guthrie’s estimation, the only way for the military to keep pace with the present acceleration of technology is to implement mission command as the best method of providing for spontaneity and growth in leadership theory and tactics that will keep apce with the evolution of future technology.

Reference

Guthrie, Tom. Col. (2012)“Mission Command: “Do We Really Have the Stomach For What Is Really Required?”ARMY; June; p. 26-28.