United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has been working to build regional and interagency partnerships to ensure the continued stability of the Western Hemisphere and the forward defense of the U.S. homeland for more than fifty years. U.S. Southern Command is responsible to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States for national security interests through roughly one half of this hemisphere – 31 countries, 16 dependencies and areas of special sovereignty, and approximately four hundred and sixty million people. SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility includes the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico; the waters adjacent to Central and South America; and the Caribbean Sea. (United States Southern Commamd n.d.) SOUTHCOM priorities are: (1) Countering Transnational Organized Crime; (2) Counterterrorism; (3) Building Partner Capacity; (4) Contingency Response; (5) Detainee Operations. SOUTHCOM missions are carried out by its component commands: (1) U.S. Army South; (2) 12th Air Force (AF South); (3) U.S. Marine Corps Forces South; (4) U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command; (5) Special Operations Command South; (6) Joint Task Force Bravo, Soto Cano Air Base; (7) Joint Task Force Guantanamo; and (8) Joint Interagency Task Force South. (114th Congress Senate Armed Services Committee 2016)
While SOUTHCOM and local counties working towards cooperating on an equal basis, sharing best practices in the region can produce much greater transitory effects in
Mission command belongs to the Army’s list of seven war fighting functions. While the other six of the Army’s war fighting functions specifically align to the application of combat power, mission command applies to leadership and its application. Mission command redefines the old construct of C2, command and control, by morphing the ideology into two distinct thoughts, the art of command and the science of control. Although mission command is a relatively new concept, it’s principles and application transcend time. This paper examines General Robert E. Lee’s application of the mission command principles at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Gen. John J. Pershing , a veteran of the Spanish-American War, commanded the AEF. The U.S. was far from prepared to send an army to the European front
Operational leaders see how the individual components of an organization fit together and use those individuals work to make a larger outcome. When they focus on a problem, they think of what works best within the process and systems to make an impact on the situation. These types of leaders play a big part in making sure that things get done in an effective and functioning manner. According to the Army Doctrine ADP 6-0, the Army over time has strayed away from operational leaders and adapted Mission Command, which gives leaders the ability at the lowest level the capability to exercise disciplined initiative in an act of carrying out the larger mission . Mission Command is made up of the following six steps: Understanding, Visualize,
With German forces on the run following the Allied success at Normandy and the breakout and pursuit across France, Allied forces were staged to enter Germany in late summer 1944. Both Field Marshal Montgomery and General Bradley clamored to be given the priority of effort. General Eisenhower chose Montgomery’s Operation MARKET GARDEN as the plan for action. It called for airborne forces to open the route for a ground force to move more than sixty miles up a single road, ending up north of the Rhine River near Arnhem, Netherlands. By accomplishing this task, the German Ruhr industrial heartland would be within easy grasp. But the operation failed. The ground force
Dear Mother, It’s been a long time since I had the opportunity to sit down and write you a letter. I miss you and father a lot. I am overjoyed to be writing this letter to you. The mood here is one of jubilation. Our assault on Vimy Ridge began at 5:30 am on Easter Monday, eight days ago. We lost a lot of good boys but I am so very pleased to inform you that the Canucks got the job done! What the French couldn’t do for two years and the Brits too we, Byng’s Boys did in three days. I was assigned to the front line in the trenches as part of the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade attached to the 4th Canadian Division. This is actually the first time all four divisions got to work together as a unified Canadian Corps. They
The book I chose to do my book report on is the marines of montford point. This is a true story of the marines of montford point, North Carolina. The first African American segment of the United States marine corps. In this book we find out the struggles they went threw because of the racial barrier as well as the political implications that were going on at the time. This was a very inspiring book and it reminds people of the cost of freedom.
In order to really delve into the topic of Mission Command, we must first accurately define it. So what is Mission Command? Per doctrine, 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.” Now that’s a mouthful. But, what does it really mean? In simplified terms, mission command is the way a leader develops and leads his subordinates into accomplishing the mission while leaving room for leaders to take ownership and initiative in completing the mission.
The Chief Lieutenant of the Tuskegee Machine by David H. Jackson Jr. exemplifies the life of Charles Banks as Booker T. Washington's main abettor, in the Tuskegee Machine. This descriptive autobiography of Charles Banks life's work, gives the reader an insight into the success of Booker T. Washington. Along with the biography of Charles Banks life, the book also addresses the creation and struggles of Mound Bayou. It also gives the reader an inside look on Booker T. Washington's complex, economic concentrations rooted in the African American Community called the Tuskegee Machine.
Throughout the Revolutionary War, there were many battles that occurred that are not remembered today. The reasons for this are plentiful, examples include minor battles, unimportant skirmishes, or travesties of war. However, some battles are forgotten intentionally, like times whenever something embarrassing happened to a soldier, or to an entire side. This case of embarrassing defeat is exactly what happened at Fort Galphin or, as the British called it, Fort Dreadnought, in Beech Island, SC on May 21st, 1781.
The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.
In late June 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia passed through western Maryland and invaded Pennsylvania. General Lee believed that by invading the North, he could draw the Union Army of the Potomac away from their defenses and force them to come after him. He also assumed the people of the North would be so demoralized if the Union were to lose another major battle, especially if it was fought on Northern soil, that President Abraham Lincoln would be forced to negotiate a settlement of the Civil War. On 01 July 1863, then Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and his 20th Maine received word to begin movement to
The firing on that fort will inaugurate a civil war greater than any the world has yet seen…you will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet’s nest which extends from mountains to ocean. Legions now quiet will swarm out and string us to death. It is unnecessary. It put us in the wrong. It is fatal. –Robert Toombs. (Boerner paragraph 2).
It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, “We Were Soldiers” focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Hal Moore commanded the 7th Calvary Regiment that landed a helicopter in an area named “X-Ray” located in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. LT. Col. Moore found himself and his men defending an area no bigger than
“War at its basic level has always been about soldiers. Nations rose and fell on the strength of their armies and the men who filled the ranks.” This is a very powerful quote, especially for the yet young country of the United States, for it gives credit where credit is truly due: to the men who carried out the orders from their superiors, gave their blood, sweat and tears, and in millions of cases their lives while fighting for ideals that they believed their country or government was founded upon, and to ensure the continuation of these ideals. Up until the end of the 20th Century, they did so in the worst of conditions, and this includes not only the battle scene, but also every day life. In
Before reading Unit 4, I heard little bit about civil war where more than 6,20,000 Americans had lost their life which including the murder of 50,000 innocent Southern civilians. The Tensions between the northern and southern united states over issues of states’ rights v/s federal authority. After reading in Unit 4, I found