66 Stories of Battle Command

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.