Mission Command: Making it work at Battalion Level

Abstract : The United States Army has taken the concept of mission command and embedded it into doctrine and is now attempting to operate within it. There are currently some flaws in application that this paper lays out for the reader. Commanders will likely return to the basics of doctrine and an emphasis on training management. Professional military educators must educate all levels of leaders on what mission command is and what is not. Inculcation of mission command must start from the beginning of professional military education and never stops. Finally, the development of leader's attributes will be necessary through counseling and evaluations, not just by the required reports, but by performance based evaluations such as after action reviews. Senior leaders must reinvigorate their junior leaders on the importance of training management, train with and be comfortable with doctrine, develop and embed mechanisms that will allow leaders to interact with one another, and develop leadership competencies that strengthen the organization. Mission command as a philosophy, a system and a warfighting function can become the keystone to Joint force 2020. We have time to achieve that goal. Our goals are not short-sighted and identifying our shortfalls can be instrumental to making changes for the next generation of warriors.