This monograph examines the role of initiative in AirLand Battle doctrine as contained in the 1986 edition of Field Manual 100-5 Operations. It concludes that although the tenet of initiative is clearly defined as setting the terms of battle by...
US Army doctrine demands leader initiative, defined as taking action to best accomplish a mission without waiting for new orders or supervision. This thesis explores how well the US Army develops junior officer initiative. A review of historical,...
This monograph examines tactical initiative and the types of information the commander's intent should provide to guide it. initiative became increasingly important beginning in the l8th Century as the dispersed, fast-paced nature of the modern...
The June 1993 version of FM 100-5, Operations, introduced the concept of battle command into United States Army Doctrine. The battle command concept emphasizes the art of command' and implies that battle command drives the requirements for command...
This monograph examines the role of initiative in Soviet operational level command. It seeks to answer the question: Do Soviet operational commanders have the personal initiative and latitude to react to unexpected or changed situations on their...
This monograph investigates the possible use of initiative by the operational commander when conducting a defense. AirLand Battle doctrine is based on securing or retaining the initiative and exercising it aggressively to accomplish the mission,...
Research Problem. The Army does not use leader initiative as a criteria to design units. Yet, Army doctrine requires that leaders display initiative on the decentralized battlefield. The Army may therefore not be able to fight on the decentralized...
The battlefield's rapidly changing environment requires soldiers to make decisions and use initiative to defeat the enemy. This monograph's intent is to explain why training for uncertainty is imperative in cultivating a unit able to adapt to the...
This monograph examines how the U.S. Army can restructure the decision making process to release initiative on the battlefield. Army tactical units execute missions on a chaotic, uncertain, and disorderly battlefield. Leaders' actions are guided by...
The United States military has conducted counterinsurgency campaigns against violent Islamic extremists for the last eight years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. However, communication-minded, technology-savvy, insurgencies...
This study investigates the degree to which conventional infantry battalions (light, mechanized, airborne, and air assault) are conducting realistic home-station unit training to prepare soldiers to face a willing and able foe. The study analyzes...
This monograph examines the conduct of operations of the United States' Eighth Army under the command of General Matthew B. Ridgway in the Korean War. During the period of Ridgway's command, from late December of 1950 through April of 1951, the...
This monograph examines whether the current focus of Classroom XXI provides the adequate advanced military education necessary to prepare company and field grade leaders for the future battlefield. Technology has become the driving factor as the...
The decentralized command and control system required to execute AirLand Battle Doctrine presents a significant challenge to tactical leaders. Incapable of predicting the critical place on the battlefield or occupying multiple vantage points...
This monograph discusses whether the leadership concepts of Auftragstaktik are relevant to the leadership requirements of an Information Age army. Preparing for the future is a difficult task for any military organization. This monograph examines...
This monograph concerns the adequacy of heavy brigade doctrine for meeting engagements. Specifically, it discusses how well FM 71-3, Armored and Mechanized Infantry Brigade, provides guidance for the preparation for and conduct of meeting...
This monograph addresses the continued relevance of airpower’s master tenet in light of advances in technology. The purpose of this monograph is to examine the doctrinal assumptions used to justify centralized control with decentralized...
This is a theoretical paper on campaign planning. The paper examines the processes and principles involved in campaign plan formulation and modification within the context of all three levels of war. A series of theoretical models are used to...
In recent years a plethora of comments have appeared praising the impressive combat effectiveness of the pre-1945 German Army. Many of these comments have attributed a large measure of the Germans' tactical success to the concept now referred to as...
This monograph presents a new concept of division deep battle characterized by decentralized planning and execution by task organized, combined arms brigades instead of the current Deep Operations Coordination Cell (DOCC) method. The study first...