FORT BENNING, Ga., (Nov. 6, 2013) -- Maneuver Captains Career Course students received further education on the principles of mission command Oct. 28, as subject matter expert Eitan Shamir spoke to a group at Derby Auditorium at McGinnis-Wickam Hall.
Shamir is an associate professor in the department of political science at Bar Ilan University in Israel and a research associate with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
He is the author of Transforming Command: The Pursuit of Mission Command in the U.S., British, and Israeli Armies.
Prior to his academic position, Shamir was in charge of the National Security Doctrine Department at the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, Office of the Israeli Prime Minister.
Mission command, as an activity, is defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander's intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of full spectrum operations.
The most important key to implementing and understanding mission command, he said, is that Soldiers realize that mission command must be embraced as a culture.
"One has to understand that mission command is not a procedure -- it's a culture," he said.
"It is based primarily on trust and also on clear communication. It requires a shared doctrine and training, and once you have all those elements in place, then you are able to execute mission command."
In order to ingrain mission command into the Army culture, Shamir said Soldiers must be prepared to execute mission command not just on the battlefield, but in everyday life.
"What is most important is to live as you fight," he said.
"You have to practice the mission command principles in everyday activities so once you get into battle, the principles will not be new for you. They will be embedded in your mind and in your routine actions."
During his lecture, Shamir spoke about the widening spectrum of conflicts that militaries across the world are engaging in. To that end, he said Soldiers must be ready for new threats and unique situations.
"The best advice is to be prepared to be unprepared," he said.
"We talked today about the full spectrum of warfare. We have everything from stability operations to high-intensity conflicts. What I think we're going to see is that the spectrum is going to become wider. As more and more threats are added while the old threats are not swept away, we have to be prepared for all of these threats."
He said the best way for Soldiers to prepare for the unexpected is to continue to hone their skills and make a practice of lifelong learning.
"What is required from Soldiers is that they continue to work on their education and to widen their horizons so they better understand the political, social and economic dimensions of conflicts," Shamir said.
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