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Your thoughts?
After studying warfare for years and being in a war myself I’ve become aware of the following issue that today’s soldier faces on the battlefield.
Due to modern technology general-level officers are now able to communicate with junior officers on the battlefield perhaps hundreds of miles away. While this may seem like an advantage it has its drawbacks particularly when conducting UW or any Special Operations.
When conducting Special Operations, and wars seem to be increasingly dependent on such operations, junior level officers as well as NCO’s must make strategic decisions in a timely manner. However, they are still subject to the will of their chain of command. This can lead to bad decisions because clearly the junior level commander on the ground has more accurate, and up to date information than the more senior officer hundreds of miles away. He has what we call ‘ground truth.’ While, the junior level officers must always act to fulfill their commander’s intent it is clear that this evolving relationship has developed a snag in operations.
How can junior officer and NCO’s be allowed to make their own decisions without disregarding their commander’s orders? Is it possible, or would it involve some sort of change in the dynamics in the chain of command while in certain operations that necessitate it?
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