General John J. Pershing: Critical Observations and Experiences in Manchuria and Mexico

This monograph concentrates on General Pershing's experiences in the Pacific during the Russo-Japanese War in Manchuria, and as the commander of the punitive expedition into Mexico. His observations and experiences before World War I, informed General Pershings skill, knowledge, and judgment as a commander and improved his ability to understand, visualize and describe an approach for conducting operations. Ultimately General Pershings observations and experience before the war led to his success as Commander of the AEF, as he was able overcome the ambiguity and intricacies of a complex and uncertain operational environment. General Pershing's observations during the Russo-Japanese War and his command of the punitive expedition into Mexico solidified his belief in the fundamental necessity of discipline and offensive training, effective administration of logistics, and the enablement of strong and capable subordinate leaders. General Pershing's critical findings can be further broken down into numerous elements of operational art and the principles of joint operations. So while General Pershing is not largely recognized as an operational artist in contemporary writing, his observations and experiences with regards to the elements of operational art and the principles of joint operations before World War I certainly shaped his performance in Europe, making him a practitioner of operational art.