Arrowhead Ripper: Adaptive Leadership in Full Spectrum Operations

Abstract

In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates reflects on "whether formations and units organized, trained, and equipped to destroy enemies can be adapted well enough and fast enough to dissuade or co-opt them - or, more significantly, to build the capacity of local security forces to do the dissuading and destroying." This question is central to the on-going debate over whether the Army has the proper structure and training to perform full spectrum operations. This monograph reports that 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) effectively operated as a "full spectrum" force during Operation ARROWHEAD RIPPER in the city of Baqubah, Iraq, from June to September 2007. The Brigade Commander organized the SBCT to conduct simultaneous kinetic and nonkinetic operations, task-organizing his brigade to leverage the Iraqi military, local leaders, and Iraqi systems already in place to accomplish his mission of defeating al-Qaeda and stabilizing the city of Baqubah. Ultimately, adaptive leadership, at every level, enabled 3-2 SBCT to operate in a full spectrum campaign.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA501357

Entities

People

  • Fred Johnson

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Affairs
  • Combat Operations
  • Command And Control
  • Economic Systems
  • Governments
  • Leadership
  • Lessons Learned
  • Local Governments
  • Military Operations
  • Military Training
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Security
  • Stability Operations
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Urban Planning and Geography.