On War's Precipice: Operational Leadership in Crises.
Abstract
Limited Post Cold War interventions of the kind seen in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda, Northern Iraq and Bosnia--once regarded as anomalies-have increased in frequency. While these situations are the most complicated and volatile in which to intervene, they have also become the most prevalent and recurrent. Perhaps by default, the operational leaders who are immersed in these crises have become the indispensable on-scene stewards of American foreign policy and military strategy world-wide. The successes and failures of our nation's past interventions have been due in large measure to the performance of our operational commanders directly engaged in these crisis zones. This discourse argues that crises are not just chaotic events, but have definite phases which can be positively influenced toward a desired outcome. This analysis further argues that discerning and influencing the transition points between these phases of crises is a crucial skill of operational leadership which has historically proven elusive. The operational commander's ability to influence these phases, moreover, is dictated largely by his mastery of a series of systemic and intuitive leadership imperatives vital to successful crisis management. It is the commander on the ground, now more than ever before, who is the crucial deciding factor between resolution or escalation, and success or failure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 07, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA325024
Entities
People
- John Fenzel Iii
Organizations
- Naval War College