The Necessity of Dissent in the Planning of Military Operations
Abstract
Planning for military operations at the national strategic level has a direct impact on a commander's ability to meet his operational objectives. It is important during the planning phase for operations that an environment exists wherein all professional views can be presented and properly considered. In the planning for Napoleon's 1812 campaign against Russia, Japanese planning for Midway, and U.S. planning for Vietnam and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the inability of civilian and military leaders to accept professional dissent ultimately led to defeat or protracted conflict resulting in inconclusive results. These historical examples show that national strategic leaders rejected advice that could have turned the tide or at least made a more positive difference in achieving the established objectives. When legitimate, professional advice is not taken into account, the danger exists for operational considerations such as factor space (Napoleon 1812), force concentration (Japan in Midway), and factor force (Vietnam and Iraqi Freedom) to ultimately keep military commanders from being able to achieve their assigned objectives. The mistakes in planning for these campaigns ranged from establishing the objective based on false assumptions, allowing civilians to have operational and tactical control of military forces, refusing to accept alternative points of view, removing persons who offer alternative points of view from the decision chain, and keeping bad news from decision makers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA484318
Entities
People
- Jullian C. Bishop Sr.
Organizations
- Naval War College