Limited Decisions for Unlimited Missions

Problems of command and control, and more specifically the degree of delegation of authority, have been the focus of attention of military leaders for many centuries. Within the past two decades the rapid development of communications and data processing have made centralized control capabilities greater than at any time in the past. Coupled with these technological developments, the traditional concepts of peace and war have tended to become fused into a continuum rather than a dichotomy. In this strategic setting the United States has, for nearly two decades, maintained relatively large standing military forces. These military forces have been employed in several efforts to influence the international situation short of general nuclear war. Indications are that in the foreseeable future military capabilities will play a major role in the expression of national policy. These factors, along with other variables associated with the protracted conflict with communism, indicate that the traditional concept of the military commander may have become altered. The nature of modern military endeavor seems to have increased the management responsibilities of the commander as opposed to his traditional command role. This essay advances the thesis that the widely expressed discontent among military personnel as a result of the increasing tendency toward more centralized control might be alleviated by recognition of the situational changes in the role of military forces and, hence. the roles of their commanders under present world conditions. Replaces ADE750558.