Cohesion as a Command Emphasis Item

Abstract

Unit cohesion is over-emphasized as a command interest item. Regardless, cohesion has long been considered a military imperative toward unit success, with commanders accepting its pursuit of as one of their duties. Yet the multi-dimensional concept of cohesion is not fully understood, resulting in commanders exerting too much energy on only one facet of cohesion. Furthermore, the effects of cohesion on unit performance are not as clear as leaders believe them to be. In some cases, a highly cohesive unit may actually perform worse than a less cohesive one. Finally, the challenges of creating cohesion amongst unit personnel are greater in this era than in any other. This is part due to deployment schedules and deployment mechanisms but also due to the influence of technology on society.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2010
Accession Number
AD1018434

Entities

People

  • John P. Woodruff

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Attrition
  • Cohesion
  • Combat Effectiveness
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • International Security
  • Internet
  • Military Commanders
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Training
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Theoretical Analysis.