In examining the military history, one can easily find out that the main role of military leaders in the field is to decrease confusion and to guide units to achieve the desired end state. In accomplishing these tasks, Situational Understanding and Visualization have become necessary steps especially in today’s complex environment. This importance legitimates the question about their relationship between these two steps and the challenges facing leaders to achieve situational understanding and visualization. Commander’s visualization depends on Situational understanding. Leader’s success in these two phases remains conditioned by overcoming some challenges related to his bias, time and the efficiency of his staff. In order to debate this thesis statement, this essay will describe the relationship between situational understanding and visualization before presenting the challenges facing commanders to draw the desired end state. First, there is a …show more content…
Also, his judgment built from his experience as an expert in amphibious operations and his participation in the Torch operation played a great role in his situational understanding and visualization. Moreover, because he was in the front line, MG Cota maintained his situational understanding during the first day at Normandy. Consequently, he was able to rectify his orders, direct his soldiers and make right decisions. On the opposite of Normandy, MG Cota, lacking experience in commanding Infantry units (his last command duty was in 1917 as company Commander), failed in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest to understand the situation. As a result, he failed to visualize the appropriate solution. His misunderstanding of the terrain led to choose an inadequate route to support units and to not exploit all his assets especially
The 7th Cavalry Regiment's destruction at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876 is the subject of over a century of debate. LTC George A. Custer failed to exercise four key responsibilities that were expected of him as the regiment’s commander. He failed to understand the problem and environment, visualize a feasible solution, clearly describe it to his subordinates, and effectively direct his forces. These four aspects of mission command are integral to the operations process and help Soldiers understand and execute their commander's intent. Custer's failure to properly fulfill his role in the operations process resulted in his death and a strategic defeat for the nation.
The award-winning novel by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, discusses one of the greatest examples of mission command in the form of 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and his role in the Brecourt Manor Assault. This battle is a textbook example of how to fight against a superior enemy force that outnumbered the unit by four times as much. Facing overwhelming odds with just 16 paratroopers against over 60 German Soldiers, 1LT Winters nevertheless prevails and succeeds in achieving his objective while minimizing casualties to just three Soldiers lost. Looking back further into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill on the American side is one of the earliest examples of Mission Command under the command of COL William Prescott.
The mission command philosophy helps commanders counter the uncertainty of operations by reducing the amount of certainty needed to act. Commanders can build teams and achieve their final goals through adapting the six principles of mission command to warfighting situation. I analyzed and compared the performance of General Sherman and General Hampton in four of six mission command principles.
In order to receive a victory in the Battle of the Bulge, General Patton used Mission Command Analysis in order to understand how he can be successful for this mission. The first thing of understanding t...
In the summer of 1944, General George S. Patton and his 3rd Army successfully broke through heavy German Forces resistance from the Normandy invasion. German forces were in total disarray by the end of August 1944. Patton pleaded with his boss, General Omar Bradley, that if 3rd U.S. Army could be allocated as little as 400,000 gallons of fuel, he could be inside Germany in two days. Time was crucial before the inevitable reaction by the Germans to shore up their defense, preventing Patton from advancing. General Bradley refused Patton's request for more fuel; Unfortunately, General Patton advanced to Germany. Morale ran high throughout Patton’s Army, and there was no sign of heavy resistance before the German border. Consequently, by early September, the 3rd U.S Army had ground to a virtual halt along the flooded Moselle River. In places, Patton's tanks and vehicles ran out of fuel on the battlefield and their swift momentum outran their supply lines (Fugate, 1999). Lack of logistics allowed the German forces to take advantage of Patton’s Army and initiate one of the largest tank battles of World War II, the Battle of Arracourt.
... Like the relationship of situational understanding and situational awareness, operational art is at a higher stratum than operational design. The commander must visualize the operation from start to finish with elements of creativity and innovation. For the operations-level commander, this is the premise for them to reach their determination of intent. Yet at some point, intangibles and the unquantifiable have to enter into a system of process. This is the goal of operational design. In simplest terms, operational art may draw commander’s attention to the forces of PMESH-II to aid in the identification of the operational environment; operational design will draw the commander’s attention to his or her combat capability and time constraints while contextually and adaptively improving MDMP or Joint Operational Planning process efficiencies and effectiveness.
Both passages concern the same topic, the Okefenokee Swamp. Yet, through the use of various techniques, the depictions of the swamp are entirely different. While Passage 1 relies on simplicity and admiration to publicize the swamp, Passage 2 uses explicitness and disgust to emphasize the discomfort the swamp brings to visitors.
Some reasons why powerful situations and a person 's conscience may influence a person’s behavior are because of situations of a moment, feeling pressured by others, and what someone might believe is an authority figure.
Leaders today need to have an appreciation for the operation process, understand a situation, envision a desired future, and to lay out an approach that will achieve that future (Flynn & Schrankel, 2013). Plans need to be created that can be modified to changes in any factors considered. However, plans should not be dependent on specific information being precise or that require things to go exactly according to schedule. Instead, the staff NCO should be flexible where they can and always be prepared for the unexpected. Today’s military members are fighting an unconventional war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The enemy constantly changes their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP’s) to counter the United States technological advances, making planning very difficult for leaders. There are multiple tools at a staff NCO’s disposal to try to anticipate an outcome of a current operation, but also assist with the development of concepts in follow-on missions. The Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) is just one tool a staff NCO can utilize. In order to stay ahead of the enemy, create effective plans and orders, it is critical for a staff NCO to assist the commander, and understand that the MDMP and planning are essential in defeating the enemy and conserving the fighting force.
Compare and Contrast the Army Problem Solving Model (Process) with the Rapid Decision making and Synchronization Process. (C100)
Possessing an underutilized brain is like making a billion dollars, but simply hiding the money away forever: there are so many opportunities that stem from it, but it is worthless because it is never put to use. Rene Descartes felt this way himself, as he said, “It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.” I wholeheartedly agree with this quote; a mind is the most precious of commodities but one’s brain is not employed, than it is as useless as a pile of dirt. Still, not only does one have to make use of their mind, it must be in a way that can benefit society. Only than has one truly “used it well.” Despite what some may believe, it is not enough to simply be intelligence; one must use it to make something of themselves.
Military leaders make decisions and solve problems every day. Some need a decision quickly while others can take time. The US Army has several decision-making methods to assist leaders. The Army Problem Solving Model (Process) (PSM) is a systematic approach to identifying the best possible solution to an issue or problem and a deliberate method of decision-making (FM 6-0, 2009). Leaders use it to solve a problem when time is not critical and they can put some thought into different solutions. The solution must be objective and based on facts in order for the decision to be relevant and practical. The Rapid Decision Making and Synchronization Process (RDM) is a decision-making and synchronization technique typically used during the execution phase of an operation (FM 5-0, 2010). Besides its use during execution, this style of decision making is quick and focuses on the ability to modify the plan, due to changing circumstances, and synchronize those changes with subordinate elements. Determining which method to apply requires an understanding of the similarities and differences of both techniques.
The most effective commanders through their leadership build cohesive teams. Mutual trust, shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk serve as just a few principles for mission command. Mutual trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship that a commander shares with his staff and subordinates. The shared understanding of an operational environment functions, as the basis for the commander to effectively accomplish the mission. While my advice for the commander on what prudent risks to take may create more opportunities rather than accepting defeat. Incorporating the principles of mission command by building cohesive teams through mutual trust, fostering an environment of shared understanding, and accepting prudent risk will make me an effective adviser to the commander, aid the staff during the operations process, and provide an example for Soldiers to emulate.
The Intuitive Psychology is linked to the greater capacity exhibited by some people regarding their desires, motives, and beliefs of others, moreover being able to more accurately anticipate reactions as well as behaviours, an intuitive person is a person who has feelings or seemingly acquires knowledge about events, circumstances, or other information, mainly without ordinary sensory input or previous training.
In the cognitive level of analysis there are three principals that can be demonstrated through research. The cognitive level of analysis focuses on the mental processes, for instance like memory, attention, thinking and language. With that information it see how we take in all our outside information and process it. The three principals consist of; social and cultural factors that affect cognitive processes, human beings are information processors and that mental representations guide behavior, and that mental processes can and should be studied scientifically by developing theories and by using a variety of research methods. These principals allow us to focus on how behavior can truly affect our cognitive levels of analysis.