The Historic and Current Relevance of Mission-Type Orders: How to Better Adapt to a Mindset of Mission-Type Orders

Abstract

The security situation the US military faces in 2020 resembles the ones in 1806 and the 1980s when mission-type orders gained prominence. The US faces peer competition from China and Russia. Mission-type orders is a means to counter this. For the US military to fully utilize mission-type orders on future battlefields it must understand that mission-type orders are a mindset that requires a holistic approach to leadership, learn from historically successful applications of mission-type orders, and identify how to better adjust for mission-type orders in future conflicts. Germany in the inter-war era is an example of how such a mindset can be nurtured, Israel post WW II is another. Germany in both World Wars, the Soviet Union in 1943-44, and Israel post WW II all demonstrated the effect of successful application of mission-type orders. Modern definitions, bureaucracy, and risk aversion are obstacles for full utilization of mission-type orders in the United States military today

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 20, 2020
Accession Number
AD1177836

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  • Brage Reinaas

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  • Marine Corps University

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