The Military Decision Making Process: Making Better Decisions Versus Making Decisions Better

Abstract

This monograph examines the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP) as presented in the 1997 version of FM 101-5, Staff Organization and Operations. Numerous military professionals and decision-making theorists hold that an analytical process such as the MDMP is inappropriate for tactical operations. Officers supporting this line of reasoning suggest that the tempo and uncertainty of the brigade/battalion fight calls for an intuitive decision-making process. Through a detailed analysis of what the MDMP is theoretically designed to accomplish, this monograph provides evidence to counter this criticism. The structure of the paper provides this evidence by first establishing the validity of using an analytical model in the tactical environment, and then demonstrating that the MDMP is the right analytical model. The first part of the paper, an examination of the MDMP in the context of problem-solving theory, suggests that an analytical planning process is needed to support future intuitive decisions. This justifies the use of the use of the MDMP's analytical processes, answering the first question. The second part of the paper determines whether the MDMP is the right analytical model. The paper accomplishes this by examining the MDMP against two sets of criteria. The first set, are planning imperatives suggested by historical doctrine. The second set represents the psychological processes that human decision-makers need to overcome the combined friction of the tactical environment. Together, these two sets of criteria explain how the MDMP is an appropriate analytical model, which answers the second question. This monograph suggests that command and control at the tactical level represents a system where analytical planning is necessary for successful intuitive decision-making. The MDMP meets the U.S. Army s institutional expectations, represented by

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA387136

Entities

People

  • John J. Marr

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Applied Psychology
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Cognition
  • Command And Control
  • Command And Control Systems
  • Control Systems
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Marine Corps
  • Mental Processes
  • Pattern Recognition
  • Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Students
  • Thinking
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control