Military Leadership

Touchstones for the Military Leadership Engaged in Asymmetric Warfare BRIGADIER GENERAL Bikram Singh Peacekeeping Institute Publication by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "While asymmetric warfare has undertaken a new and a broader dimension especially in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, in the title of this paper it refers to counterinsurgency warfare, wherein terrorism is employed by the irregular adversary as a means to subvert the rule of law and effect change through violence and fear. This war is being waged in some form or the other in almost 71 countries of the world and the perceivable contours of the futuristic international security landscape portend a threat for its proliferation. Resultantly, the militaries around the world will have to gear up to counter this scourge, which offers different battle space dynamics and challenges for the military leadership. Such warfare underscores the need for different knowledge structures, wherein military’s mass and energy, in concert with other elements of national power, is applied for ‘control’ as against ‘destruction’."

Strategic Leadership Competencies Dr Stephen J Gerras, COL William Kidd, COL Robert Pricone, COL Richard Swengros, Dr Leonard Wong Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "On December 21, 2001, the Chief of Staff of the Army tasked the U.S. Army War College to identify the strategic leader skill sets for officers required in the post-September 11th environment. The following report is the result of that tasking. Dr. Leonard Wong, assisted by four U.S. Army War College students, reviewed the strategic leadership literature, interviewed corporate leader developers, analyzed the leader development system, and gathered the views of key leader developers in the Army. They distill the essence of strategic leadership into six metacompetencies that not only describe strategic leadership, but also provide aiming points for an integrated leader development system."

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff's Leadership Using the Joint Strategic Planning System in the 1990s: Recommendations for Strategic Leaders Dr Richard M Meinhart Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The Joint Strategic Planning System has been considered the primary formal means by which the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff executed his statutory responsibilities specified by Congress in Title 10 of the U.S. Code. Yet little has been written about this strategic planning system itself, although some of its products such as the varied National Military Strategies and Joint Visions have been thoroughly reviewed. One can gain great insight into the Chairman’s formal leadership since the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act by understanding how this system evolved, reviewing its processes, and examining all of its products."

Strategic Leaders Adapting to the Future Environment - Department of State COL William L Wimbish III Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Competent, innovative and effective leadership is absolutely essential to the success of any organization; especially during times of great uncertainty and transformation. In order to effectively implement, manage and lead change, strategic leaders must possess and use certain core competencies and skill sets."

Fourth Anton Myrer Strategic Leadership Conference: A 'Leadership During Crisis' Workshop COL Gregory A Adams, Michael H Crutcher, Prof James O Kievit, Thomas W Sweeney Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The September 2001 at tacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon vividly demonstrated that responding to a major crisis is not solely the concern of the military or the national security community or even of fire and police protection agencies. Indeed, there are many types of crises that can threaten not only the well-being of governmental, civil, and business organizations and population at various levels, but also their very existence."

Future Leadership, Old Issues, New Methods Dr Douglas V Johnson II Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "As the Army rapidly progresses into the information age, the professional dialogue concerning how to harness the enormous potential of information becomes more intense. It is too frequently centered on equipment/technology solutions as opposed to human performance solutions. The Army After Next initiative is a rare example where a healthy balance between equipment-technology and human performance is emerging. Maintaining this focus is becoming ever more challenging as the allure of high-payoff, high-technology equipment and digitization overshadow the more “touchy-feely” explorations of human behavioral science and leadership."

Disaster and Intervention in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learning from Rwanda Dr Steven Metz Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this study, Steven Metz examines the policy and strategy implications of violence-induced human disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa with special emphasis on Rwanda. The author argues that our senior military leaders, policymakers and strategists must better understand the African security environment. He also warns that to avoid overtaxing the military, U.S. objectives in African disaster relief must be limited. This combination of limited policy goals and operational efficiency will allow the U.S. military to serve public demands at a minimal cost to its other efforts."