The Future of Mission Orders

摘要

AS WE MOVE CLOSER to informationage technologies that pave way to Force XXI, not everyone looks to future in anticipation. While many professional journals proclaim revolution in military affairs' potential advantages, officers and noncommissioned officers at company and battalion levels worry about Force XXI's impact on mission orders, commander's intent and subordinate leader initiative and current concepts. If information becomes as universally available as some futurists envision, our current battle command system may become outdated and inefficient. A centralized decision-making process-producing detailed, specific instructions to subordinates-will not only be possible, but practically dictated.1 Allowing subordinates to operate under their own initiative within a commander's intent will fail to take full advantage of emerging technology. On surface, fear of such a radical change in our doctrine seems baseless. US Army Field Manual (FM) 100-(,Information Operatioins, specifically states that the current doctrinal approach of mission orders, or decentralized decision making, is not anticipated to change.2 Nevertheless, logic of sort that argues for end of mission orders is not as farfetched as one might think. Like every generation before us, our Army walks fine line between failing to capitalize on new technologies and falling prey to expectations that technology cannot fulfill. History is littered with earlier armies that failed to get it right. General Gordon R. Sullivan, former Army Chief of Staff, was largely responsible for our current efforts in information technologies. He recognized dangers in our future when he stated that Increasingly capable integrative technology may, once again, generate false belief that centralized decision making will result in greater combat effectiveness at point of battle.3 Simply put, more effective information technologies become, greater temptation to discard critical elements of our doctrine. Some anticipate an Army where commanders who have grown accustomed to relying on information from computers are fearful of putting similar trust in their subordinates. After all, when commander enjoys complete and accurate information, why would he allow his subordinates to attempt to work their way through fog of war existing at lower levels? Even sharing perfect information with subordinates appears to fall short of ideal, as a subordinate may not respond to information as quickly or as insightfully as higher headquarters might wish. It is far more efficient, argument dictates, sending direct and specific instructions that subordinate can execute without a need to understand big picture. In information age, higher headquarters will always know best. Fortunately, future is what we make it. The need for subordinates who can act independently within a commander's intent will be with us well into next century. Three factors will keep Force XXI from becoming robot-like organization that some envision: * The drastic increase in flow of information, both vertically and horizontally, will not solve underlying problem leaders have always facedinterpretation and decision. * The complexity of even our current operations and those envisioned for Force XXI will require every leader to devote his full attention to operations at his echelon. The execution of subordinate tasks will, by necessity, be left largely to subordinates. * Despite much overstated promotion, information technologies will fall far short of eliminating fog of war. The difference between perception and truth, is likely to remain a part of warfare forever. The Information Explosion Taken collectively, factors above will make any attempt to remove mission orders from our doctrine a mistake. Our doctrine already recognizes that an increase in availability of information is not a solution to our problems. …