The more your agent understands the purpose behind your actions, the better theyll be able to respond appropriately when the situation changes. Unfortunately, this condition only devalues command and is also detrimental to a commanders formation. Joint planning process jpp the lightning press smartbooks. The commanders intent must be easy to remember and clearly understood by leaders two echelons lower. Yet despite its great importance, the commander s intent is still not understood well in the u.
Many commanders struggle to write effective intent statements in a manner that. Steven kwast, commander of air education and training command, lays out his initial intent for first command airmen. An examination of operational art in task force 58 and 1st marine division. M ission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commanders intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of decisive action. Some units are approaching the problem of integrating information operations into operations with the use of an effects coordination cell.
Intent is the desired outcome of a military operation. A clear commander s intent facilitates a shared understanding and focuses on the overall conditions that represent mission accomplishment. Yet despite its great importance, the commanders intent is still not understood well in the u. Commanders intent and concept of operations army university. The joint planning process jpp is an orderly, analytical process, which consists of a set of logical steps to examine a mission. Lieutenant colonel scott shaw is a great leader, and has selflessly compiled this substantial collection of tips, templates, warnings, and insights to help other leaders succeed in their own leadership opportunities, command or otherwise. The xviii airborne corps and the vii corps balanced the missions, cared for soldiers, and executed the commanders intent. Almost 20 years ago, before i assumed command of a rifle company in the 25th infantry division, a supervisor handed me a copy of roger nyes the challenge of command. It uses a leaderleader approach aimed at broader, longterm issues.
Commanders intent is an intent describing military focused operations and it is a publicly stated description of the endstate as it relates to forces entities, people and terrain, the purpose of the operation, and key tasks to accomplish. The mattis way of war this thesis examines the generalship, leadership, and operational art of general james n. This understanding comes from the close relationship the csm has with the commander, giving us a unique insight into rationale behind decisions and the intended end state. Army provides combatant commanders with organized, trained, and equipped forces to fight and win the nations. The remaining elements tasks to subordinate units, coordinating instruc tions, and control measuresshould follow naturally from welldeveloped commanders intent and concept of the operation paragraphs. Command and division shaping operations have left the nanda. History of the 82nd airborne division of the us air force. Commanders intent is a critical concept for military leadership, yet rarely used in business.
May 12, 2009 funny thing about the new commander of u. The key current doctrinal reference for definition of commander s intent is fm 1015, staff organization and operations, specifically, page 59. That is, in todays army, are staffs giving commanders what they need to complete their required deliverables at the conclusion of the mission analysis brief, timely, relevant, and constructive intent and guidance, or. The internet archive offers over 20,000,000 freely downloadable books and texts. Compendium on commanders intent small wars journal. The commanders intent is a simple, nononsense statement that appears at the top of every order, specifying the plans goal and the desired outcome of an operation. Use these three military lessons to be decisive in business. Signal soldiers and planners are chartered to build networks that almost intuitively act on behalf of the commanders intent. Mattis, us marine corps by using task force 58 in afghanistan as a formative base and then comparing elements of operational art to the conduct of the 1st marine division in operation iraqi freedom, 2003.
Operational commanders intent by m i l a n v e g o dr. Formalizing command intent through development of a. Commanders as communicators from the green notebook. How to organize the headquarters for information operations. Contents division commander s message xi foreword xiii part one. The enemy i was accustom to had been replaced by a complex. Fort drum pamphlet 6005 commonly called the blue book describes general rules and policies while serving in 10 th mountain division li. With their bare hands traces the fate of the us 79th division men drafted off the streets of baltimore, washington, and philadelphiafrom their training camp in maryland through the final years of world war i, focusing on their most famous engagement. The operation took place in the shahikot valley and arma mountains southeast of zormat. The command sergeant majors place on the battlefield from.
Knowing commanders intent to be able to extend the command influence and be at the critical events mentioned in adrp 60, the csm must understand the commanders intent. To be able to extend the command influence and be at the critical events mentioned in adrp 60, the csm must understand the commanders intent. Commanders intent, according to army doctrine reference publication 50 the operations process, succinctly describes what constitutes success for the. Did you know that the auxiliary was established on june 23, 1939, by an act of congress as the united states coast guard reserve and redesignated as the auxiliary on february 19, 1941. Act on commanders intent proceedings april 2017 vol. As a result, the development of the commanders intent and the concept of operation are of paramount importance and must be well developed. Filling every seat would have required having people on standby to deploy, many of whom would have had to say goodbye to their family multiple times, which was unacceptable. It does not say executive officers xo intent or operations officers s3 intent. The commanders intent is a clear, concise statement of what the force must do and the. During execution, the commanders intent spurs disciplined initiative. The commanders intent is the key element in providing a framework for freedom to act and thereby enhance and foster initiative by subordinate commanders during the execution of their assigned missions. When the main intent of regularly scheduled staff briefings is to achieve coordinated effort within, the substance of each staff officers presentation should only involve updating of material previously presented. But legacy only happens when good leaders also take the time to share those lessons with the profession. The division commanders intent for the air movement was to leave no less than one percent of the seats empty on each aircraft.
Whether lee intended to engage the army of the potomac at gettysburg so early in the campaign is debated. Limited conversion division lcd organization and equipment. Borrow a book books on internet archive are offered in many formats, including daisy. Operational commanders intent by vego, milan joint. The key current doctrinal reference for definition of commanders intent is fm 1015, staff organization and operations, specifically, page 59.
His multiple and contradictory strategic aims left his commanders acting much on their own. 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 conduct of unified land operations. Commanders intent is the description and definition of what a successful mission will look like. Typically, the commanders intent statement is three to five sentences long and contains the purpose, key tasks, and end state. Commander s intent is an intent describing military focused operations and it is a publicly stated description of the endstate as it relates to forces entities, people and terrain, the purpose of the operation, and key tasks to accomplish. An examination of operational art in task force 58 and 1st marine division united states army command and general staff college on. Formalizing command intent through development of a command. Milan vego is professor of operations in the joint military operations department at the naval war college. Apr 02, 2017 my commanders acceptance of risk paved the way for action within his intent. The 1st armored division is a values based, fit, and cohesive team led by expert leaders focused on readiness and continuing the division s legacy of americas tank division. Intelligence units marine cryptologic support battalion. When a marine commander takes command of a unit, one of the first things they do is publish their intent for the individuals that they now command. Mcsb exists to enable and execute signals intelligence, information assurance and nationaltactical integration activities in order to satisfy nsacss, marine airground task force and joint force intelligence requirements.
Operational commanders intent by vego, milan joint force. Cia paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy alqaeda and taliban forces. A clear, concise statement of what the force must doand the conditions the. I eagerly digested this book, in which nye discusses the opportunities of command and addresses the role of a commander as tactician, warrior, moral arbiter, strategist and yes. A mattis way of war is postulated in the conclusion which draws from his use of history, commanders intent, and leadership to build up a capacity, or potential energy, for action in his unit. It is a simple written description of what success will look like in a highrisk situation.
Jul 16, 2015 r eading a post on the military leader one day, a question reminded me of a critical leadership lesson i learned from my time in command. Disciplined initiative and the commanders intent small. The briefing goes back in time as far as necessary to present the full picture. Outside of mosul, other brigade commanders have been immersed in the effort to build trust and thus a new iraq. The shorter the commanders intent, the better it serves these purposes. Understanding the commanders intent is the most critical step for a signal leader. The command sergeant majors place on the battlefield. Mission command is 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. Operating within commanders intent recruiter journal. The us army in field manual 30, operations, similarly defines commanders intent as. Second, commanders intent, executed by the lowest level of command practical, is faster than any network or communications means. He immediately brought the division staff together so that we might better understand his intent and leadership style. Oct 06, 2016 however, the timetested commanders intent ci concept can offer a successful guiding structure to help agencies meet modern policing challenges. Military planning begins with the mission statement that describes the who, what, when, where.
This failure promoted misunderstanding and mutual trust issues among the joint force that affected the integration of joint functions such as intelligence and sustainment. When the main intent of regularly scheduled staff briefings is to achieve coordinated effort within, the substance of each staff officer s presentation should only involve updating of material previously presented. Oct 30, 2019 the commander s intent is a clear and concise expression of the purpose of the operation, the desired military end state, provides focus to the staff, and helps subordinate and supporting commanders and leaders act to achieve the commander s desired outcomes without further orders, even when the operation does not unfold as planned joint. Mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commanders intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations. My commanders acceptance of risk paved the way for action within his intent. Apr 25, 2017 commanders intent is a critical concept for military leadership, yet rarely used in business. During execution, the commander s intent spurs disciplined initiative. Lees lack of clear commanders intent to his subordinate commanders created confusion on the battlefield. Compendium on mission tactics and commanders intent. Dec 31, 20 naturally from welldeveloped commanders intent and concept of the operation paragraphs.
But in the years after pinning on the gold bar of a second lieutenant, the responsibility for junior officers development begins to fall, in. Holder argued that an over reliance on a rigid, methodical planning process and the relatively new doctrinal addition of commanders intent had left many orders without an appropriate concept of operations paragraph and subsequently left subordinates without. Commanders intent is a much better method of delegating tasks. Considerations of available resources, the commander s intent and numerous other factors lead to the conclusion that the effects coordination cell is the best way for these headquarters to organize. The application of operational design as explained in chapter iv of jp 50 provides the conceptual basis for. General mattis was a huge proponent of the book good to great by.
It is the single unifying focus for all subordinate elements. Require your officers to own and run their divisions, their departments, and. The commander s intent is the key element in providing a framework for freedom to act and thereby enhance and foster initiative by subordinate commanders during the execution of their assigned missions. Continuously strive to maintain our unique marine ethos and standards that set us apart from others. Commanders intent and concept of operations questia. A commanders intent for a unit can be likened to a vision for those under his charge, or more clearly, what purpose those individuals marines and sailors should feel they serve day after day. Operation anaconda was a military operation that took place in early march 2002 as part of the war in afghanistan. Mar 09, 2017 unfortunately, this condition only devalues command and is also detrimental to a commanders formation.
The general template for a commander s intent includes the purpose, key tasks and end state. On line version of joint publication 102, department of defense dictionary of military and. It is a concise expression of the purpose of the operation and must be understood two echelons below the issuing commander. To provide policy guidance for the efficient conduct of interior guard programs for marine corps units. Currently, units at the brigade and division level are trying various methods of incorporating staff officers and noncommissioned officers into the planning process for information operations.
Commanders intent and concept of operations 1 commanders intent. A clear commanders intent facilitates a shared understanding and focuses on the overall conditions that represent mission accomplishment. As thenlieutenant commander dudley knox observed in 19, neither signals, radiomessages, nor instructions, written or verbal, can suffice to produce the unity of effortthe concert of actiondemanded. My next major lesson in mission command occurred at the national training center where i served as the brigade operations officer for 22 sbct. It is commanderled and blends the art of command and the science of control to integrate the warfighting functions to. Which brings me back to my favorite two words about command.
The exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commanders intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in conduct of unified land operations. In the past year, african nations and regional organizations have been addressing. Commander us atlantic command lantcom, failed to convey the commanders intent to the joint force for operation urgent fury. In the 1980s, the army improved its planning process by inventing a concept called the commanders intent. It developed the theater logistics concept and ensured that all army operations were closely coordinated with operations in the other services. The commanders intent describes the desired end state. Mattis assumed command of 1st marine division in the summer of 2002. It read, when was the last time you heard a unit commander ask for feedback, consider the input, publicly admit hes wrong, and change his opinion given that i have a vivid example of being humbled while in command, i felt. Marine cryptologic support battalion commander s intent purpose. T he commanders intent is the key element in providing a framework for freedom to act and thereby enhance and foster initiative by subordinate commanders. However, the timetested commanders intent ci concept can offer a successful guiding structure to help agencies meet modern policing challenges. The application of operational design as explained in chapter iv of jp 50 provides the conceptual basis for structuring campaigns and operations. To achieve this goal, army leaders use three planning methods. Lieutenant colonel scott shaw is a great leader, and has selflessly compiled this substantial collection of tips, templates, warnings, and insights to help other leaders succeed in their own leadership opportunities, command or.
It read, when was the last time you heard a unit commander ask for feedback, consider the input, publicly admit hes wrong, and change his opinion. R eading a post on the military leader one day, a question reminded me of a critical leadership lesson i learned from my time in command. A commander who tasks one of his staff officers to write his intent is simply a commander on paper. Sep 19, 2014 the commanders intent must be easy to remember and clearly understood by leaders two echelons lower. Aug, 2019 when a marine commander takes command of a unit, one of the first things they do is publish their intent for the individuals that they now command.
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