Operational Battle Command: Lessons for the Future,

Abstract : Future thinking, decisive decision-making, and leadership provide the foundation for the analysis of battle command in theory, doctrine1 and history. Classical and modern military theorists make the commander the central point for leadership and vision. The art of command, leadership, and generalship have long been subject to review and scrutiny. This has taken on additional emphasis with the publication of U.S. Army Field Manual (FM) 100-5, Operations, in 1993. FM 100-5 presented a discussion of command and leadership which is the subject of numerous articles in professional journals and presentations by senior Army leaders. This monograph provides a foundation for the discussion of battle command by first reviewing the theoretical underpinnings of command. Next follows a discussion of service, Army, and joint doctrine along with a discourse on U.S. Army doctrine since World War II. The examination covers the concepts of command in both the 1941 and 1949 versions of FM 100-5, Field Service Regulations: Operations. Finally, current doctrine is considered so that lessons can be drawn from the actions of successful operational commanders and applied to today's military.