66 Stories Of Battle Command

Soldiers have often been good story tellers. The personal recollections of fellow soldiers are an important source of developing a feel for the art of battle command. Stories are a primary means of transmitting the tribal wisdom of the profession of arms. This book contains stories from filed and general officers commanding in training exercises, most form rotations at the National Training Center. In their stories, they describe their thoughts, their actions, their successes and especially their mistakes. U.S. Army Research Institute.

The U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI) Research Unit at Fort Leavenworth and the School for Command Preparation (SCP) of the Command and General Staff College have a long history of mutual support which dates back to the inception of the Tactical Commanders Development Course (TCDC) in 1988. Since then, ARI has periodically conducted interviews and surveys of numerous SCP graduates in a continuing effort to maintain the high quality of TCDC and more recently to support the development of the Battle Commanders Development Course (BCDC). One finding that has consistently emerged from these studies is the unsolicited praise for the exchange of stories and personal maxims that occurs during TCDC and BCDC. As we have found in our studies of other aspects of tacit knowledge, the military tradition of instruction through experience and historical example has a sound foundation in psychological theory. SCP seminars and exercises regularly prompt battle commanders to relate personal accounts that illustrate battlefield concepts. These practical anecdotes have a clear motivational value and also provide a lasting source of easily recalled tactical knowledge. The current project was initiated to collect stories from experienced commanders. These stories will supplement the BCDC curriculum by providing a common pool of anecdotes to successive classes. They will also provide a basis for a broader discussion of requirements for future battle command. The candor and commitment of the experienced commanders who shared their stories is greatly appreciated; they have made a significant contribution to the next generation. This book contains stories from field and general officers commanding in training exercises, most from rotations at the National Training Center. In their stories, they describe their thoughts, their actions, their successes and especially their mistakes. In each story the commander tells how he learned an important lesson in battle command - and he identifies the lesson. And every story succeeds; there is not one without a valuable lesson. The willingness to share is striking from every contributor. Each has shown no reticence in honestly describing his errors, the mark of a confident, experienced, and learning student of the military art. As you read the stories, note well. Few are about tactical maneuvers and doctrinal principles. Instead, they are stories of friction and confusion - friction generated in the challenging task of orchestrating the actions of a large complex force. This, under the pressure of a hostile environment and a wily, punishing OPFOR, who know the habits of BLUFOR commanders as well as they know the terrain. And they are stories of growth, as the commanders strengthen their intuitive feel for battlefield dynamics, a process achieved only through experience and practice. I commend the creative, forthright, hardworking, reflective, and insightful commanders presented in these stories. They are serious students of the art of battle command.

This book contains stories from field and general officers commanding in training exercises, most from rotations at the National Training Center. In their stories, they describe their thoughts, their actions, their successes and especially their mistakes. In each story the commander tells how he learned an important lesson in battle command - and he identifies the lesson. And every story succeeds; there is not one without a valuable lesson. The willingness to share is striking from every contributor. Each has shown no reticence in honestly describing his errors, the mark of a confident, experienced, and learning student of the military art. And they are stories of growth, as the commanders strengthen their intuitive feel for battlefield dynamics, a process achieved only through experience and practice.

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This important report collects enlightening stories from experienced battlefield commanders containing lessons for military leaders. The U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI) Research Unit at Fort Leavenworth and the School for Command Preparation (SCP) of the Command and General Staff College have a long history of mutual support which dates back to the inception of the Tactical Commanders Development Course (TCDC) in 1988. Since then, ARI has periodically conducted interviews and surveys of numerous SCP graduates in a continuing effort to maintain the high quality of TCDC and more recently to support the development of the Battle Commanders Development Course (BCDC). One finding that has consistently emerged from these studies is the unsolicited praise for the exchange of stories and personal maxims that occurs during TCDC and BCDC. As we have found in our studies of other aspects of tacit knowledge, the military tradition of instruction through experience and historical example has a sound foundation in psychological theory. SCP seminars and exercises regularly prompt battle commanders to relate personal accounts that illustrate battlefield concepts. These practical anecdotes have a clear motivational value and also provide a lasting source of easily recalled tactical knowledge. The current project was initiated to collect stories from experienced commanders. These stories will supplement the BCDC curriculum by providing a common pool of anecdotes to successive classes. They will also provide a basis for a broader discussion of requirements for future battle command. The candor and commitment of the experienced commanders who shared their stories is greatly appreciated; they have made a significant contribution to the next generation. Lesson Themes * Introduction * by GENERAL FRED FRANKS, JR., US ARMY (RETIRED) * Battle Command Stories * 1. Company Team Knows Its Sector * 2. Misreading the Effects of Terrain * 3. Mentally Preparing for the Mission * 4. See Yourself * Major General William S. Wallace * Commander, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), 1999 * 5. Orchestration and Synchronization * 6. Clear Objectives for Clear Intent * 7. Enriching Experience * Brigardier General Russel L. Honore * Assistant Division Commander, 1st Cavalry Division, 1998 * 8. Carousel of Deception * Brigadier General (Retired) Huba Wass DeCzege * Senior Mentor, Digital Advanced Warfighting Experiment, 1999 * 9. Follow Your Heart * 10. Picture of the Obstacle * 11. Simultaneous Attack * Colonel George Bowers * Commander, 2nd Brigade, 1CD, 1998 * 12. Leave OPFOR Tactics to the OPFOR * 13. Shaping the Battlefield for a Flexible Defense * Colonel Joseph Fil * Commander, 1st Brigade, 1CD, 1998 * 14. See the Terrain to Assess the Terrain * 15. Critical Forward Check * Colonel Benjamin Freakley * Commander, 3rd Brigade, 1CD, 1998 * 16. Leadership in a Composite BCT * 17. Pressure to Decide * 18. Seize the Initiative * 19. Conditions for Attack Dissolve in Bad Weather * 20. Huddle on the Battlefield * 21. Two MICLICs Delay Breach * Colonel Ted Kostich * Commander, 2nd Brigade, 4ID(M), 1999 * 22. Pick Up the Red Pen First * 23. Everything Takes Longer Than You Think * 24. Tactical Patience and Managing Battle Tempo * 25. No News is Bad News * 26. Survivability on the Move * Colonel Rick Lynch * Commander, 1st Brigade, 4ID(M), 1999 * 27. Air-Ground Planning * 28. JSTARS Missing Link * 29. Aviation BCT Challenges * 30. Safety and Fratricide at Live Fire * 31. Apaches in Every Valley * 32. Rock Drills for a Common Picture * more