Leonard Wood, Operational Artist or Scheming Careerist?
Abstract
Leonard Wood served as the Military Governor of Santiago (Cuba) in 1898, and of Cuba from 1899 to 1902; as the Military Governor of the Moro Province in the Philippines from 1903 to 1906; and as Governor General of the Philippines from 1921 until his death in 1927. His military operations in support of American strategic aims provide lessons in both stability operations and civil-military relations. Wood developed a detailed understanding of both theaters, and he arranged his actions (both civil and military) in time, space, and purpose to accomplish American strategic aims. Leonard Wood conducted a variety of civil and military operations as the Military Governor of Cuba and the Military Governor of the Moro Provence in the Philippines. Critics generally praise his military governorship of Cuba, and condemn his military governorship of the Moro Province. The logic these critics use is that Wood was successful in Cuba because he did not use violent military actions to pacify the Cubans, and that he was not successful in the Moro Province because many of his actions to pacify the Moros were violent, and frequently brutal. Critics cite Wood's desire for career advancement and stubborn, volatile, and often arrogant attitude as primary motivations for his use of violence in the Moro Province since it differed from his actions in Cuba. These critiques ignore the unique environments Cuba and the Moro Province presented to Wood. Examining Wood's actions in their cultural and doctrinal context provides an understanding of Wood's rationale for his operational approach in each case.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 06, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA569994
Entities
People
- Colin M. Fleming
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College