U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tanner D. Lambert. Oct. 25, 2019
The title gives the reader two words: (1) Mission and (2) Command. For the purpose of this discussion, “Mission” will be referenced as a noun. It is an assumption of the author’s that missions will continually evolve but military forces remain ready to adapt to achieve a successful end state.
“Command” on the other hand will be referenced as a noun and a verb. “Command” is a position found throughout varying levels of the military. “Command” is also a verb. For example, “A Lieutenant Colonel commands a battalion.”
July 2019 saw a huge revision of U.S. Army doctrine. Like everything in the Army though, as much as things change they also stay the same. One of the biggest revisions is the reintroduction of Command and Control into Army lexicon. One of the main reasons this was done was because the concept of Mission Command never took hold across the joint community. The joint force maintained command and control and when joint operations took place that was the terminology used. The reintroduction of command and control into army doctrine synchronizes the Army with the rest of the military arm of national power, yet how the Army approaches command and control will be familiar to anyone who has been leading in the Army over the last decade.
The Field Grade Leader is happy to announce our next book club – March Madness! Here’s all the info you need to get involved in the conversation:
- Buy the book and start reading! Over the next few weeks we’ll be reading The Centurions by Jean Larteguy.
- Go to our Facebook Page and RSVP yes for the event . We’ll use Facebook as home base for the conversation and a place to chat as our reading progresses.
- Again, discussion will occurs each week in Facebook comments for the event. We will post a leading question in the morning, then learn from each other’s responses through out the day. Here is the reading/discussion schedule we will stick to:
7 March: discuss the intro and section 1
14 March: discuss section 2
21 March: discuss section 3
- We’ll close out the book club with a Zoom session on the 28th of March at 5 PM eastern time. More to follow regarding dial in information.
Thanks for being involved!
Soldiering is among the oldest professions, and the officer corps has existed for as long as written history itself. You are now part of that legacy. The leadership challenges you may face on and off the battlefield are not new. From tactics and strategy to unit morale and discipline, examples of both success and failure are easy to find. You have the opportunity and responsibility to learn from the mistakes of others as well as build on their past successes. During my time as an Assistant Professor of Military Science and throughout my military service generally it became clear many members of our profession fail to take advantage of the lesson’s history provides. Those who take the time to study military history almost uniformly outperform those who do not. A little after-hours effort on your part will pay dividends as your eyes are opened to the legacy of those who have come before you. To help you get started on your journey this article is divided into two parts: finding a professional hero to emulate, and some historical examples of how to solve some common leadership challenges.
Two years ago someone gave me an audio book (“Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown, read it!) and it changed my life. Without altering time with work or family, I listened to 100 books in 2018, and I listened to 150 books in 2019 – audiobooks literally changed my life.
The Field Grade Leader is excited to provide ACFT Prep Plan 2.0, an update to the programming Ed Arntson provided last July.
I tried out this original programming after publishing it last summer and was very happy with the results. I really enjoyed following the program given a demanding but easy to follow progression over eight weeks. At completion, I was stronger than ever on my deadlift and happy with the speed work results. The plan had great traction across our community with over 15,000 views last year.
ACFT Prep Plan 2.0 maintains key aspects of the original program but incorporates feedback Ed has received over the past few months. Amongst other improvements, he has increased focus on exercises to prepare for the sprint-drag-carry and the standing power throw.
Check out this fantastic program and let us know what you think!
ACFT Preparation Plan 2.0
2-Mile Tables
A fantastic read about our flawed perception of motivation. Daniel Pink lays out a convincing argument that the old ‘carrot & stick’ approach to incentives is dead wrong. While a rewards & punishment approach works for simple tasks, one needs intrinsic motivation based on autonomy, competence, and purpose to accomplish complex and creative tasks. This is because we psychologically want to direct our own lives, be better than what we are, and yearn to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
Overall a short tome that is well researched and written. I burned through this one fast and did not need to flip back and forth to follow the thesis and evidence.
A must-read for anyone who aspires to lead or motivate others where commitment is valued over compliance.
A book review by Chris L’Heureux
This winter, as I watched my foreign language instructor spend 5-10 hours every week filling out routine administrative paperwork, I realized that there were AI/ML technologies available that could not only have automated most of that work but also made it more accurate. This would have allowed her to spend those hours working on class preparation or working on the textbook she dreams of writing. But, because I didn’t know how AI/ML works, I could not advise her on the basics of how to free her time. Who has not stayed late at work, filling out paperwork that should have been automated? Wouldn’t it be nice to not waste time filling out paperwork, but instead use the insights we are supposed to be getting from that data to build better units? This frustration motivated me to begin looking more closely at how AI/ML works, what it requires to be implemented, and how to prepare myself to lead in an AI/ML environment. As I investigated this field, I realized that my technical skills are lacking. I needed to go back to school to be an effective AI/ML leader so I began exploring where I could learn these skills on my own. And if I, one of the slower people in the room, am looking for ways to learn these skills, then other FGOs must be looking as well.
The Roman army’s disenfranchisement from the Republic is often used as a warning in modern civil-military relations. This story mimics the warning from a French perspective. Larteguy’s characters, archetypes with varied backgrounds, endure Indochina and captivity before engaging in the Algerian War. They experience ethical conflict and subsequent rationalization where the ends justify the means. The character of warfare changes and the characters change with it. The failure at Dien Bien Phu was a result of failing to recognize and adapt to the right kind of war. The characters understand this with reflection and adapt to the type of war they are fighting in Algeria – becoming what they fight.
“I’d like France to have two armies: one for display, with lovely guns, tanks, little soldiers, fanfares, staffs, distinguished and doddering generals, and dear little regimental officers who would be deeply concerned with the general’s piles: an army that would be shown for a modest fee on every fairground in the country. The other would be the real one, composed entirely of young enthusiasts in camouflage battledress, who would not be put on display but from whom impossible efforts would be demanded and to whom all sorts of tricks would be taught. That’s the army in which I should like to fight.”
A quick and easy read, Larteguy was a reporter during this period and this novel clearly shows his experience. There is much to unpack in this narrative from an ethical and moral standpoint.
A book review by Chris L’Heureux
Goal setting is something we do almost every day without much thought. I carry around a list of things-to-do with 50+ items on it. Most of these tasks are simple – respond thoughtfully to an email for example. Many are sub-tasks that contribute to a larger goal. Within this list are a several things I want to accomplish but tend to carry from week to week. A few align to personal or professional development objectives, but these are rare. Is a things-to-do list the acme of goal setting? I think not, but it is a list of what needs to be done…and a start.
