Operation Anaconda: Analytical Paper of Principles of Mission Command
According to APD 6-0: Mission Command (2019), the definition of mission command is “The Army’s approach to command and control that empowers subordinate decision making and decentralized execution appropriate to the situation.” (p.Glossary 3) This approach by the Army is used on a daily basis at various times during countless operations and missions. One of the operations where mission command was used was Operation Anaconda. Operation Anaconda occurred shortly after the attacks on the United States (US) on September 11th to counter the attacks conducted by Taliban forces in Afghanistan. The operation’s main objective was to destroy or capture the al Qaeda and Taliban forces
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But I’ve seen great leaders who stood in front of a platoon and saw it as 44 individuals, each of whom had his hopes, each of whom had his aspirations, each of whom wanted to live, each of whom wanted to do good. So, you must have character. Some great man once said that character is seen only when nobody is watching. It’s not what people do when they are being watched that demonstrates character, it’s what they do when they are not being watched that demonstrates true character.” (Shwarzkopf, N., 2001) Missions are not accomplished. And wars are not won by personnel or units put in charge if they are incompetent. During Operation Anaconda, the US had many successes and yet just as many lessons …show more content…
Switching over to a more aerial attack and advising against the original plan of the hammer-and-anvil approach was one of those times. “[Task Force Mountain] switched from its original hammer-and-anvil focus to embrace a new plan that emphasized the massing of air fires in support of U.S. Army positions on the valley’s eastern sides.” (Kugler, 2007) Through this ingenuity, everyone involved was able to adapt and overcome the operation completing the objective at hand. Leaders knew there would be calculated risk in changing up plans on such short notice. But considering the pros and cons risk acceptance came to the forefront of completing the
On July 30, 2008, a bloody battle involving Coalition forces took place in the mountainous eastern Afghan province of Nuristan. This was the Battle of Wanat and the devastating amount of Coalition casualties began a vigorous investigation by the United States Army. The village of Wanat, defended by Second Platoon, Chosen Company, Second Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team would fall victim to numerous bad decision made by higher command. Although the men of Chosen Company fought hard, they ended up surrounded, vastly outnumbered, and without any Battalion assets. This paper will argue the reasons for the disastrous outcome of the Battle of Wanat; examining the effective company leadership exploiting effective
Proof #2: Lack of Command Structure and Communications This section will examine how lack of command structure and communications directly attributed to the failure of OPERATION SPRING. This will be achieved through the explanation of the German reinforcement of the St. Martin Road leading to the intended Canadian assembly area of St. Martin, and how the fierce resistance on this road would lead not only to a delay in the intended assault time, but also the killing of the two highest ranking officers of the regiment prior to the
This complicated any effort to bring massive of amounts of fire power without causing numerous unintended civilian casualties. Because of the possibility of the high number civilian casualties a close air support effort was considered unnecessary due to the lack of enemy personnel in this area. The plan for Operation Anaconda employed many of the same concepts that were successful in earlier experiences in Afghanistan. The battle was planned to be mainly a ground operation, although the task force did plan for a limited number of strikes by fighters and bombers just before the U.S. ground forces were supposed to enter the valley.
In the past, the commanders and generals had to be on the ground trying to get their own vantage point on the war so that they could make their next tactical decision. With the development in communications via radios and the advantage of being in an urban war where runners could spread information rapidly, this allowed the commanders and other individuals higher up in the chain of command to make more informed decisions and maneuver their chess pieces on the battle field from afar if you will. One of the biggest overarching problems that the United States forces had to deal with from the day we decided to go to war, to the day it was over, was the inadequate training that our Soldiers arrived to Europe with. We did try to correct this problem once we had boots on the ground,
Air Forces, initially seen as something other than an essential part of the operation. General Franks and General Mikolashek needed competence in their subordinate commander General Hagenbeck to give him the leverage he needed to make command decisions. Therefore, the military forces must devise a new plan without veering from the commander's intent. This new plan consisted of massive air strikes to support U.S. Army forces in the valley. Having a shared understanding as defined in ADP 6-0 (2019) paragraph 1-38, commanders and staffs actively create shared understanding throughout operations (planning, preparation, execution, and assessment).
The Battle of Bunker Hill is perceived strategically through the words of Colonel William Prescott, "Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” A notorious contention during the American Revolutionary War encompassed not only decisive action military strategy and theory, but one of the purest understandings of mission command at its foundation. A single affirmation to his men, revolutionizing the art of command and science of control, formulated a tactical philosophy that is studied to this day by military scholars. Colonel William Prescott assumed command of the Patriots during the Battle of Bunker Hill, absent of orders and facing unwavering odds, achieving victory through the implementation of the modernly understood mission command
Further research of the area could have provided them with weather analysis, which could have led to pushing the mission left or right. Firing an RPG at a fuel truck and creating a large explosion is not tactical, and should have occurred, especially since they did not know if the truck was hostile. This shows the lack of training and intelligence that the Rangers received prior to the mission. Taking a bus full of civilians as prisoners was to ensure mission safety, but at that point the mission was compromised and should have been called off. Miscommunication from the pilot to the ground guide, as well as the blowing sand, were the reasons for the devastating crash that ensued.
Therefore, he dispatched his 2nd Brigade Commander, Colonel Anderson, to gather as much information as possible, assess the situation, then report back describing the conditions in order for Major General Petraeus to lead, and direct his units in Mosul. This paper explores the aspects he used to lead, direct, and assess the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul. Moreover, how General Petraeus was able to utilize artful
Introduction: Operation Anaconda was one of the largest operations conducted by the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan in March 2002. The operation was aimed at destroying Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley in eastern Afghanistan. The success of the operation was due in part to the principles of mission command, which allowed individual soldiers like M.Sgt. John Chapman to demonstrate their leadership and bravery on the battlefield. This analytical essay will examine the seven army principles of mission command and how they were demonstrated in the story of M.Sgt.
Staff Sergeant Montano was vital in the planning, leadership, and execution of more than four major computer network operations, covering a span of two years against high-priority Counter-ISIS nodes of interest worldwide in direct support of national intelligence objectives. These operations included two of the largest and most complex cyber operations in USCYBERCOM history. For all of these efforts, Staff Sergeant Montano was the key leader who made it possible for USCYBERCOM to achieve what had only been imagined for years. He excelled at skillfully taking an idea for an operation and turning it into an executable
General Macarthur and his plan to attack Inchon was a daring endeavor however, it was one that was analyzed greatly and used the tenants of mission command. General Macarthur used his considerable leadership skills and understanding of mission command to develop a winning strategy for the landing at Inchon, skills that all leaders should know and use. Mission command is a powerful tool when used correctly and General Macarthur was a master at
The Effective Military Leader Warrant Officer Romero, Philip T. SPC: Captain Dearth, 1st Platoon The book “Black Hearts One Platoons Descent into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death” by Jim Frederick is a true story about multiple leadership failures and six United States Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division who were convicted for their involvement in horrible crimes while deployed to Iraq. The horrific acts including rape as well as murder committed by the soldiers of 1st platoon were a direct result of poor military leadership. Bad leadership will corrupt any military unit.
And the fact the book talks a lot about how the military has lost so many times due to strategic planning that has led to defeat. Seeing this now allows future leaders to know how to lead and to not cause casualties’ when it could possibly be prevented. In the book we Linn tells us how American leaders in the military assumed and therefore ended up in the wrong warfare. For example, Linn stated that: “During the Cold War, when many Americans believed they faced nuclear annihilation or communist dictatorship, the dangers posed a century earlier seemed insubstantial” (Linn, 2007).
By definition, “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,” according to ADRP 5-0. Mission command is about knowing when to change the task to fit the purpose. This paper is intended to analyze the mission command of one side of the battle, focusing on the commander’s role in the operations process. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the most important battle of the American Revolution because of Colonel Prescott’s superior command and control.
Furthermore, a study made by Amit et al about leadership-shaping experience found that a group of soldiers who had more leadership experiences were perceived to be leaders compared to those who did not . This points to the fact that exercises in self-development and discipline were key to building leadership qualities. Leaders as mentioned before are role-models in society and when those leadership qualities are nurtured, the society as a whole benefits from them.