The Need for Organisational Resilience Chapter 5

[Text Box starts] Command Philosophy

Command is the authority vested in an individual to influence events and to order subordinates to

implement decisions; command is exercised by, or on behalf of, commanders. It comprises three

closely related elements: leadership, decision-making (including risk assessment) and control. The

commander’s role in command (employing the art of war) is critical, regardless of the technological

and other improvements in control (the science of war).

Military command at all levels is the art of decision-making, motivating and directing to

accomplish given missions. It requires a vision of the desired outcome(s), an understanding of

concepts, mission priorities and allocation of resources, an ability to assess people and risks, and

involves a continual process of re-evaluating the situation. A commander requires, above all, to

decide on a course of action (COA) and to lead his command. Thus leadership and decision-making

are his primary responsibilities. Command also involves accountability and control. However, control

is not an equal partner with command but merely an aspect of it. The execution of control is shared

between the commander and his staff.

Command is an intrinsically forceful, human activity involving authority as well as personal

responsibility and accountability. Command philosophy has four facets: a clear understanding of

superior commanders’ intent; a responsibility on the part of subordinates to meet that intent; the

importance of making a timely decision; and a determination, on the part of the commander, to see

the plan through to a successful conclusion. This philosophy requires a style of command that

promotes decentralised command, freedom and speed of action, and initiative – but one which

remains responsive to superior direction.

Effective employment and support of military forces is however, dependent on the Command and

Control (C2) arrangements established, from the highest to the lowest levels of authority. The balance

of this Chapter describes the principles on which the C2 of Allied joint operations are based. (North

Atlantic Treaty Organization and NATO Standardization Agency (NSA) 2010)

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